Detroit Lions vs Arizona Cardinals Box Score on Sep 15, 2013

Cardinals 25, Lions 21: Rashard Mendenhall scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:59 left and host Arizona's defense shut down Detroit in the second half to avoid its first 0-2 start since 2005.

The Cardinals (1-1) had to settle for field goals most of the day, with Jay Feely connecting from 47, 23, 43 and 33 yards, but they came up with a huge scoring drive in the fourth quarter. Carson Palmer was 22-of-39 for 248 yards with a touchdown and an interception and went over 30,000 career passing yards, joining six other active quarterbacks and 36 others all-time.

Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson hooked up for a pair of second-quarter touchdowns, but Detroit's defense produced its only points of the second half. The Lions (1-1) moved the ball to their own 43 on their final possession before Tyrann Mathieu tackled Nate Burleson a yard short of the first-down marker on fourth down, and the Cardinals ran out the clock.

Johnson burned the Cardinals secondary for a 72-yard TD and a 7-3 lead, and Stafford found him again for a 3-yard score and a 14-10 halftime advantage. But Stafford struggled after the break, completing only 8-of-16 passes for 68 yards after throwing for 210 yards and two scores in the first half.

The Cardinals stayed in it by shutting out the Lions' high-powered offense in the second half, forcing a fumble and blocking a field goal while making three stops without allowing a first down. Joique Bell and Brandon Pettigrew dropped consecutive passes as the Lions went three-and-out on their next-to-last series and gave the ball back to Arizona at its own 39, setting up a seven-play, 61-yard drive capped by Mendenhall's 1-yard plunge.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Detroit RB Reggie Bush left briefly with a knee injury but returned for the Lions' final series before halftime only to exit with the same injury in the second half. … Arizona WR Larry Fitzgerald was limited to two catches for 33 yards before leaving with an injured left hamstring. He said he will "definitely" play next week… Johnson caught six passes for 116 yards and has 33 career 100-yard receiving games, one shy of Herman Moore's franchise record.