PHX Reporter

A pumped-up Mack Wilson Sr. was greeted by fellow linebackers Dennis Gardeck and Owen Pappoe as he crossed the goal line with the crowd roar echoing throughout State Farm Stadium on Sunday.

But then he turned around, and that excitement turned into confusion.

Referee Brad Rogers announced that Wilson's pick-six, which would've tied the game with the Lions right before halftime, was negated due to the two-minute warning. In the end, Detroit kept the ball and drove for what turned out to be the deciding points in a 20-13 Cardinals loss.

"Man, I don't even know what happened, honestly," Wilson said. "I just kept playing and leave it up to the refs. They said the two-minute hit before he snapped it, so it is what it is. Would we have liked to have had that play? Yeah."

Referee Brad Rogers said in a pool report that once the clock hits two minutes, the play is dead, something he said the side judge is responsible to keep an eye on.

"We started killing the play by blowing whistles," Rogers said. "I know the play started, but when we start blowing the whistle, it shuts it down. Some of the players were still going because they couldn't hear our whistles apparently, so it looks like there's part of the action that's still moving and some of the action is stopping."

The moment hurt. But coach Jonathan Gannon said his players are "psychologically trained (to know) that's an uncontrollable for us," a mature approach for a team that would've had an opportunity to trim the deficit.

While it felt like a giant balloon of optimism and excitement was popped, Wilson said momentum didn't change. It might've shifted in the Cardinals' favor on defense. While the Lions did score on that drive and had 20 points and 246 total yards in the first half, the Cardinals settled in and shut out Jared Goff and crew for the remainder of the game.

"We gave up a lot in the first half defensively, and I feel like we did what we were supposed to do coming out in the next half," Wilson said. "We just got to clean up some more stuff. They made more plays than we did. We'll be alright."

Wilson was one of the Cardinals' leading tacklers, finishing with eight tackles, two shy of linebacker Kyzir White's ten tackles. Wilson was also one of two Cardinals to get past the Lions' physical offensive line for a sack.

The other sack came from defensive lineman Dante Stills, who was inactive last week. Stills saw extended playing time after defensive lineman Justin Jones was ruled out for the remainder of the game with a triceps injury.

For Stills, a sixth-round pick who played a significant role last season on defense, he felt right at home.

"I'm here to do my job, no matter how many snaps I get," Stills said. "I was so focused on my technique and running stunts correctly—hand placement, footwork—all of that came together into one and then good stuff happens."

The Cardinals use a rotation along their front seven defenders. Depending on injuries to Jones and defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga (knee), Stills may see more field time against Washington next week.

As an edge rusher, Wilson has also been included in rotations aimed at pressuring quarterbacks. Earlier this week outside linebackers coach Rob Rodriguez praised Wilson's work ethic: "He's a player that wants to be coached and is a tremendous athlete who plays faster on Sundays than any other day."

Moving around different positions within defense is something Wilson enjoys; his preparation starts immediately after each game ends.

"You obviously could see our motor—the violence—the will not to quit," Wilson stated encouragingly about his unit's performance post-game."You see all that displayed; as long as we've got those qualities intact we'll correct mistakes learn from them improve overall."

When referees blow their whistles during games may be beyond control but confidence among players remains unwavering within locker rooms according Stills."I feel like this experience helps us grow stronger together as group...Our team possesses special traits—violence big motors—we build upon these attributes ensuring future success"