David Johnson is a dynamic playmaker for the Arizona Cardinals who got hurt against the Detroit Lions. He could not really play as well after that, and it is hard to say that the Lions contained him. We can trust David Johnson going forward into the season, and we must consider why early injuries cause problems for teams in the NFL. The Cardinals can recover from this injury, and we should not assume that they are somehow exposed because they did not play well against the Lions.
The Cardinals are better than that
The Cardinals should not have lost to the Lions, and they should not have been put in a place where they had to function with David Johnson at less than his best.
We want to see these players do their absolute best when they get on the field, but they cannot do that if they are not able to stay healthy. David Johnson can stay healthy in the future if he is careful, and he should ensure that he does not take any unnecessary risks.
Carson Palmer needs more time
The offensive line in Arizona needs to do a better job giving Carson Palmer time to throw the ball. He can play extremely well if he has to time to move the ball, but he cannot play well if he is under pressure all the time. You may have noticed that Palmer was trying to use David Johnson as often as possible for protection, and that made it difficult for him to get the ball to Larry Fitzgerald. We could say that the Cardinals were just rusty, or it is possible that the Lions got better.
However, I do not believe that the Lions are that good and the Cardinals are that bad.
This division is tough
The NFC West is very tough because it appears that the Rams do not stink. The Seahawks should be a good team, and the Cardinals should be good. There are a number of people who love the NFC West, and there are many more who were looking for the Cardinals to possibly go to the Super Bowl.
They are good enough to make a run like that, but it does not look promising considering how the season started. David Johnson has to be the best player on this team if they want to get that far, and that remains to be seen.
The Lions have their guy
Matthew Stafford has earned his money by leading the Lions to that win, and he has shown that he is not the problem in Detroit.
The Lions are much better with him on the team, and they must look at their tape to figure out how they can repeat this week's performance. They will not get aided by injuries every week, but it is possible for them to improve. Meanwhile, David Johnson can still be a stud.
