Detroit faces a tough assignment on Thursday night, and the challenge starts with Josh Allen.
The Lions opened the regular season with a narrow 31-30 win over New Orleans, while Buffalo handled Houston 36-0. Allen did plenty in that one, throwing for 334 yards and two touchdowns and adding two more scores on the ground. Tight end Dalton Kincaid led the Bills with 130 receiving yards, and wide receiver DJ Moore added another 100.
That kind of output is a warning sign for Dan Campbell’s group, especially after Detroit had a rough time slowing Saints quarterback Tyler Shough and receiver Chris Olave in the second half last Sunday. Shough finished with 410 passing yards and three touchdowns, while Olave caught 10 passes for 182 yards. Together, they powered New Orleans back from a 21-0 deficit and put real stress on the Lions’ secondary.
Now Detroit has to deal with Allen, and that is a different kind of problem. The Bills quarterback is a four-time Pro Bowler and the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2024, and his numbers have stayed elite for years. Since 2020, he has thrown for at least 3,600 yards and 25 touchdowns every season, and he has also rushed for at least 12 touchdowns in each of the past three seasons.
He has also already had plenty of success against Detroit. Allen is 3-0 all-time versus the Lions, with five passing touchdowns and four rushing scores in those games. He has totaled 819 passing yards and 162 rushing yards against them as well.
Buffalo will also have the edge of a major moment on its side. Thursday’s game will be the first ever played at the Bills’ new home stadium, Highmark Stadium, and the atmosphere is expected to be loud with “Bills Mafia” in full force.
All of that points to a difficult night for Detroit. The Lions are walking into a hostile setting against a quarterback who has given them problems before, and they will need a clean performance to avoid getting burned. At this point, Detroit is being given a 32 percent chance to pull out the Week 2 win.
In Other News...
Lions Got Caught In Buffalo's Big Night For One Clear Reason
The Lions found themselves on the wrong end of Buffalos first night at the new Highmark Stadium, a 41-31 Bills win that felt as much like a franchise celebration as a regular-season opener. The pregame and in-game scene had the full Buffalo treatment, from live mascots to Bills Mafia table-breaking and a performance by the Barenaked Ladies singing O Canada, all of it building a loud, charged backdrop for a team eager to christen its new home the right way.
Josh Allen made sure the occasion belonged to Buffalo on the field, too, with five total touchdowns powering the Bills past Detroit. For the Lions, it was the kind of game where the atmosphere, the opponent and the stakes all seemed to point in one direction, and Buffalo seized the moment from the opening emotions of the night. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Window Suddenly Looks Tied To One Brad Holmes Problem
The Lions have spent the past few seasons building one of the leagues deeper rosters under Brad Holmes, and the early returns from his draft work were a major reason why Detroit could finally sustain that progress. But the more recent classes have not given the team the same kind of lift, and that shortage has started to show up in the places the Lions can least afford it. When young players are not adding reliable snaps on either side of the ball, the margin gets thinner fast.
Detroits recent struggles have made the issue harder to ignore because the team is now feeling the weight of misses, setbacks and unavailable players from those newer groups. A roster that once looked stocked with homegrown help has had to lean more heavily on the same core names, and that is a tougher way to survive when the competition tightens. The bigger question hanging over the Lions is whether the next wave of draft talent can still restore some balance before the window gets any harder to hold open. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Fans Finally Have An Update After That Brutal DJ Moore Injury
There was a collective exhale after DJ Moore went down against the Lions, because any shoulder injury to a top pass-catcher can look worse in real time than it does once the cameras pull back. The Bills wide receiver was checked out after the hit, and the early read is encouraging for Buffalo and anyone who was watching that moment with a little extra concern. He was able to walk off the field on his own, and the team sent him for an X-ray before getting a clearer picture.
For now, the injury is being treated as day to day, with medical sources not considering it serious and a chance he suits up next against the Chargers. For the Lions, it is a reminder of how quickly one collision can become a storyline that lingers beyond the final whistle, especially when the player involved is central to an opponents offense. The immediate scare appears to have passed, but the next update will still matter for both teams short-term outlooks. [Read more 🡒]