The Detroit Lions walked into Thursday night’s primetime test already knowing what the spotlight would expose if things went sideways. And against the Buffalo Bills, that’s exactly what happened.
Detroit’s defense, which has been the obvious soft spot, got dragged into the open again in a 41-31 loss at Highmark Stadium, the new home of the Bills. The game featured two of the league’s most dangerous offenses from the past few seasons, but Buffalo spent most of the night showing why it was in control.
Before kickoff, Dan Campbell talked on Lions flagship radio about the challenge of a short week and the need to find an edge without overwhelming his players.
"It's gonna take everybody. In these short weeks, this is where you've got to - where can you find that one little hidden gem?
That nugget that's gonna give our guys the edge," Campbell said in a pregame interview with Lions' flagship radio. "But yet, we can't have so much in or so many little things that it slows our players down, so that's kind of the trick with it, and then, how fast can you get them the information?
Make it as clear as possible but not overload them."
Instead, the Lions spent much of the night chasing the game after Buffalo came out sharp and stayed that way.
The Bills won the opening coin toss, took the ball and immediately rolled down the field on a 10-play, 85-yard march. Josh Allen did plenty of the damage himself, ripping off 40 rushing yards on the opening series before finishing it with a one-yard touchdown run. Buffalo had eight first downs on the drive and had already set the tone with a 7-0 lead.
Detroit’s first possession went nowhere. Jared Goff was sacked on third down by Greg Rousseau, and the Lions went three-and-out.
The next Buffalo drive was even uglier for Detroit’s defense. A communication breakdown between Avonte Maddox and Roger McCreary left Josh Palmer completely alone for a 43-yard touchdown catch, and the Bills were off and running again.
Detroit’s problems kept stacking up. On the following series, Juice Scruggs missed a protection reset, Rousseau got to Goff again, and then Scruggs snapped the ball over Goff’s head to kill the drive.
Jahmyr Gibbs did manage to flash early, finding some room and finishing the first quarter with 25 rushing yards. But the Lions were still being pushed around.
Buffalo stretched the margin to 21-0 in the first half, capping a nine-play, 50-yard drive with a Dawson Knox touchdown. The Bills scored on their first three offensive possessions, and the Lions had little answer. A defensive holding penalty wiped out what would have been an interception by Skyler Gill-Howard, and then Avonte Maddox was carted off with an injury.
Detroit’s own offensive line issues added to the mess. Larry Borom, filling in for the injured Blake Miller, was flagged for holding on a play that erased a big Gibbs run and backed the Lions up.
The Lions finally cracked the scoreboard midway through the second quarter. After falling behind by three touchdowns, Goff guided a 12-play, 70-yard drive, and Gibbs finished it with an 11-yard touchdown catch. Gibbs was a key piece in that series, and Dan Campbell later pointed to the penalties as a major reason the half had gone the way it did.
"Cut out the penalties because their killing us right now. The little s**t is killing us."
But Buffalo kept pressing. Detroit didn’t force a punt until its final defensive possession of the half, and Allen was comfortable the whole way.
When the Lions blitzed him in the first two quarters, he answered with 8-of-11 passing for 110 yards and two touchdowns. He finished the game with 164 passing yards, three touchdowns and a passer rating of 130.3.
Detroit did squeeze in another score before halftime. After forcing that first punt, Goff connected with Sam LaPorta, Amon-Ra St.
Brown and Jameson Williams to move the offense into position, and a tripping penalty against Buffalo helped set up Jake Bates for a 31-yard field goal. That trimmed the deficit to 27-10 at the break.
The Lions needed a strong opening to the third quarter to change the feel of the night, and they got one from St. Brown.
He had only two catches in the first half, but Drew Petzing found ways to get him involved when it mattered. On an 11-play, 74-yard drive, St.
Brown beat Christian Benford for a 21-yard gain and then capped the march with a two-yard touchdown catch.
By the end of the third quarter, St. Brown had seven receptions for 104 yards and a score.
Buffalo, though, kept answering. By the close of the third, Allen had accounted for five touchdowns, and the Bills carried a 34-17 lead into the fourth quarter. His legs, his processing against the blitz and his command of the offense all kept Detroit on its heels.
When the final whistle sounded, the Lions were 1-1 and left to sort through another night where their defense was exposed on a big stage.
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