Detroit Lions Terrion Arnold praised for best game of season by Dan Campbell.

Terrion Arnold, a rookie cornerback for the Detroit Lions, has seen both highs and lows this season.

Arnold, the Lions’ first-round choice in this year’s draft, has been a starter on the defense since day one. Detroit has stood with him despite some terrible performances and difficult times in his early career.

However, in recent weeks, Arnold has made significant progress as the calendar has moved to December. Arnold did get a pass-interference call in the end zone on Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers, but he was targeted only twice all season in a performance that earned him great accolades from head coach Dan Campbell.

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

Arnold received a 60.5 overall defensive rating from Pro Football Focus for his play in Thursday’s game. While he surrendered completions on both of his targets, he only gave up nine total yards on the two catches. One of those catches saw him make a dramatic third-down stop on wide receiver Christian Watson, forcing a punt.

Much has been made of Arnold’s troubles in covering, particularly his penchant to grab, which results in penalties. However, the defense has gotten better at avoiding such situations in recent weeks. His penalty on Thursday was his first since Week 10, and only his second since Week 4.

Even early in the season, the penalties he received were frequently the result of being overly rough at the catch point. With his progress in this area, he has been able to thrive on the Lions’ defense. He has yet to make his first career interception, but his performance has improved in recent weeks, benefiting the Lions’ defense.

Campbell compared Arnold’s development to that of other rookies he has had in prior years. While some players see a drop in performance at this point in the season, Arnold has grown in the same way as Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, and Alim McNeill have.

“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 told the crowd. “But the others that stick in there, man, they really start taking off. That’s what St. Brown accomplished in his freshman year: he began to take off. When we reached November and December, he began to gain strength. Sewell and Mac did the same thing. I believe Arnold is there. He’s starting to push through it, and he’s collecting crucial reps and experience. He’s not letting the grind of the season slow him down, and he’s improving.”