Free Press sports writer Rainer Sabin highlights the best and worst performances from the Detroit Lions' 41-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, Sept. 17, at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo.
Lions winners vs Bills
Jared Goff
With the offensive line down two starters, Goff was facing an uphill battle from the outset of the game.
Then the Lions fell in a 21-0 hole as the defense crumbled under the pressure applied by his counterpart, Josh Allen.
Climbing out of it seemed an impossible task. But Goff did all he could to pull the Lions out of that cavernous ditch. He completed 26 of 38 attempts for 327 yards, throwing four touchdown passes.
His performance was all the more impressive considering the Lions’ offense turned one-dimensional in the second half as it raced against the clock
to shave the deficit. With no run game to support him, Goff became the main catalyst of the offense.
In the second half, Goff passed for 191 of the 200 yards the Lions generated.
Amon-Ra St. Brown
For the first 23 minutes of the game, St. Brown was missing in action. He had yet to produce a catch or even have a pass thrown his way.
But eventually Goff found him, connecting for an 11-yard gain just past the midpoint of the second quarter.
That reception seemed to ignite St. Brown. Over the remainder of the game, he was the Lions’ top playmaker and did his part to preserve their comeback hopes.
On the first drive of the third quarter, he hauled in a 2-yard touchdown pass to make the score 27-17. Late in the fourth quarter, he scored again. St. Brown, a two-time first-team All-Pro, finished with a team-high nine catches and 142 yards.
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Lions losers vs Bills
Kelvin Sheppard
For the first 2½ quarters of the Lions’ season, it seemed as if Sheppard had all the answers as defensive coordinator. The New Orleans Saints were held scoreless during that period by a Lions defense that appeared suffocating.
But ever since then, it has looked porous and overmatched. The Lions gave up 369 yards and 30 points in the final 33 minutes of a one-point overtime victory against the Saints on Sunday.
Then, on Thursday, they hemorrhaged some more, surrendering touchdowns on five of the Bills’ six possessions. The Lions rarely offered much resistance, gashed on the ground and torched through the air, surrendering 446 yards and 41 points,
Sheppard, the Lions’ second-year coordinator, struggled to conjure any solutions that could stop the bleeding. Bills coach and offensive play-caller Joe Brady always seemed a step ahead.
Brad Holmes
The secondary began to fall apart last year as injuries began to take their toll.
Entering the offseason, it was seen as potential trouble spot that needed to be fixed. But instead of making major upgrades, Holmes pieced it back together with a bunch of spare parts, including cornerbacks Rock Ya-Sin and Roger McCreary as well as safeties Chuck Clark and Avonte Maddox.
Holmes, now in his sixth year as general manager seemed confident they could each get the job done. But they didn’t on Thursday. Maddox blew a coverage, allowing a 43-yard touchdown to Josh Palmer. McCreary committed a crucial defensive holding penalty on third down inside 10-yard line, paving the way for another Buffalo score shortly thereafter. Ya-Sin then raised eyebrows when he was called for offside later in the second quarter.
On offense, one of Holmes’ big free-agent acquisitions, Larry Borom, didn’t fare much better than his teammates in the secondary. The backup right tackle, starting in place of rookie Blake Miller, gave up two sacks and was flagged twice.
Lions offensive line
Borom wasn’t the only offensive lineman victimized by the Bills defensive line.
Left tackle Penei Sewell was, too.
In the second quarter, he was beaten by Bradley Chubb, who wrangled Goff to the ground 13 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
Earlier in the game, Goff was also hung out to dry by center Juice Scruggs, who sent a bad snap his direction. The botched delivery led to an 11-yard loss and caused a drive to flatline. (Scruggs also had a false start to negate a successful QB sneak before the Chubb sack.)
Those lowlights were among several compiled by a patchwork offensive line that was down two starters – left guard Christian Mahogany and Miller.
The reconstituted unit didn’t hold up well in pass protection and it didn’t create much room for running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
Goff was sacked four times and pressured on 17 of his 44 dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
Gibbs, meanwhile, averaged just 3.3 yards per attempt.
The stats illustrated the Lions weren't good enough up front Thursday.
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin on X.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kelvin Sheppard, Brad Holmes biggest losers from Lions' loss to Bills
