Lions certainly benefited from Marvin Harrison Jr. trade in Week 5

The Detroit Lions are on top of the world again, or at least in the winning record category after a 45-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5. The Lions’ offense was impressive in this game, and even though they started out slow, they quickly ramped up and scored on seven drives in a row.

This was a strong game for the Lions, and nothing should take that away from that. But it’s also fun to look at how the Lions benefited from the Cardinals trading Marvin Harrison Jr. right before the game. Not having Harrison on the field removed a huge offensive star for the Cardinals, and that may have helped the Lions’ defense focus on Arizona’s other strongest players.

Going into the game, even if the trade hadn’t gone down yet, Harrison was inactive, with the Cardinals knowing they were going to pull off the switch. So, that instantly spared the Lions’ defense from having to handle a talented former top draft pick.

The Lions’ defense, which has struggled this season, was able to focus on Arizona’s other big targets, such as Trey McBride. That clearly helped the defense focus and keep points off the board.

Then, there’s the noise. Leading up to the game, there were lots of trade rumors and talks about where Harrison would end up. That had to be a bit distracting for the Cardinals, which could also have benefited the Lions.

Detroit should be proud of their strong showing and win. At the same time, it’s fun to think about how Harrison being out may have helped.

Anne Erickson is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. She is an award-winning news reporter covering the NFL, NBA, college sports and beyond. Her work has been published by Fox Sports, ESPN and Newsweek, among others. She has interviewed some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment, including Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, Erin Andrews of Fox Sports and Livvy Dunne. Anne holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Michigan State University.