Lions Pleased Terrion Arnold Had Best Career Game Against Packers

Packers game evidence of Arnold "taking flight."

Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold (0). / Junfu Han/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Detroit Lions rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold has had his share of high and low moments in his rookie season. 

A first-round pick for the Lions in this year’s Draft, Arnold has been a starter since day one for the defense. Detroit has stuck with him despite some rough showings and difficult moments in the early stages of his career. 

However, recent weeks have shown Arnold taking major strides as the calendar turned to December. On Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers, Arnold did draw a pass-interference penalty in the end zone but was targeted a season-low two times in a performance that drew high praise from coach Dan Campbell.  

“I thought that was Arnold’s best game of the season,” Campbell said. 

Arnold earned a 60.5 overall defensive grade from Pro Football Focus for his performance in Thursday’s game. While he allowed completions on both of the two targets he had, he allowed just nine total yards on the two catches. One of those catches saw him land a big third down stop of wide receiver Christian Watson to force a punt. 

Much has been made of Arnold’s struggles with a tendency to grab, which leads to penalties, in coverage. However, the defender has improved with avoiding such issues in recent weeks. His penalty Thursday was his first since Week 10 and just his second since Week 4. 

Even early in the year, the penalties he drew were often the product of being too physical at the catch point. With his improvement in this area, he has been able to thrive for the Lions’ defense. He’s still awaiting his first career interception, but the Lions’ defense has benefitted from a stronger showing from him in recent weeks. 

Campbell compared Arnold's trajectory to that of other rookies he's had in previous years. While some tend to dip in production at this stage of the season, Arnold has followed in the footsteps of Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell and Alim McNeill with his growth over the course of the season.

“I think we’re getting to that time of the year, and honestly what happens with a lot of rookies, especially guys you’re counting on, unfortunately some of them start to take a nose dive because this is where their season begins to dip down, it’s over,” Campbell said. “But then the other ones who hang in there, man they really start taking flight. That’s what St. Brown did his rookie year, he started to take off. Once we hit November, December, he started to gain strength. Sewell did the same thing, Mac did the same thing. I feel like that’s where Arnold’s at. He’s starting to push through this and he’s gaining enough valuable reps, experience. He’s not letting the grind of the season weigh him down and he’s getting better.”