Columnist Sal DeFilippo: Detroit motoring toward lowly NFL record for road futility

Sal DeFilippo

Friday, Dec. 12, 2003 | 10:21 a.m.

Sal DeFilippo's pro football picks column appears Friday. Reach him at sal@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4076.

There are many publicized battles in the NFL. There's the battle for home-field advantage in the playoffs and the battle for a rushing title. Even the battle for top draft pick sparks interest.

But sometimes, you have to create a controversy. Or at least a reason to watch some games.

The lowly Lions are on the doorstep of tying an NFL record for road futility. A loss Sunday at 14-point favorite Kansas City would extend Detroit's road losing streak to 23 games, covering three seasons, and would equal the ineptitude of the Houston Oilers in the 1980s.

The Chiefs have won 11 consecutive home games, which certainly doesn't help matters if you are Steve Mariucci.

But as the Motor City kitties work toward another "perfect" road season, they are not alone. Five teams have managed to avoid victory away from their home stadium this season, including Mariucci's old club, the 49ers, and their Bay Area counterparts, the Raiders.

Jacksonville is also 0-for away from the Sunshine State.

But one team stands below the rest. There's no easier roadkill than the Arizona Cardinals.

You have to take a detailed look to see just how horrendous Arizona is when they leave the desert.

But this should give you a pretty good idea: In Pittsburgh last month, the Cardinals scored on a 54-yard pass play with 13 seconds remaining in the game. It didn't matter -- the Steelers were comfortably ahead -- but it did make the final score 28-15. That's the only time in seven road games Arizona has managed to stay within two touchdowns of an opponent.

That's not just 0-and-7, that's 0-and-way-7. This team just doesn't travel well. The aforementioned Detroit beat the Cards by 18. Enough said.

These birds wasted no time flying south before the winter, either. Arizona's recent road efforts are particularly noteworthy. A 44-6 loss at Cleveland was impressive enough, but Arizona followed that by falling 28-3 at Chicago and 50-14 last week at San Francisco -- after building a 34-0 halftime deficit.

More numbers: The Cards allow an appalling 36 points per road game, but score only 10. On average, they're beaten by four trips to the end zone every time they step on someone else's turf.

That's a road few teams can follow.