This was always going to be a tough matchup for the Detroit Lions. On a short week and playing the Buffalo Bills on their newly opened home turf, Detroit was in for a battle. When the short week meant losing two starting offensive linemen for the game, things got worse. When the defense gave up four touchdowns in a row in the first half, well, it was all downhill.
The score ended up being 41-31 for the Bills, with Detroit putting up an effort in the second half. However, their defense dug them a hole
too deep to overcome. Few offenses can make up a deficit like that.
The Lions drop to 1-1 on the season, but with the New York Jets up next, they are in a good position for a rebound performance. That being said, there are problems that need urgent correcting. If not, even the worst teams on paper could defeat this Lions team.
Loser: Kelvin Sheppard, DC
There is no easy way to put it: it was a disastrous performance from Kelvin Sheppard’s defense. The Lions had plenty of sub-par performances (more on that later), but the main problem is that Sheppard looked outclassed.
For all the critics talking about the Lions playing too much man coverage, Thursday night showed that their zone defense is somehow worse. Bills defenders were open all night, thanks largely to miscommunications from the secondary and questionable play calling from Sheppard (why are their defensive backs playing so far off on third-and-short?). When the Lions dialed up a blitz, nobody got home. When they tried to spy Josh Allen, he beat them. Almost every single defensive play was a failure in design, coaching, and execution.
Firing Sheppard will be a hot topic among the Lions community, but not only is this too soon (it is only Week 2 against an elite offense), it probably does not solve the problem either. Who would replace him? There is no miraculous defensive mastermind that can step in and lead this group. Getting Brian Branch or Kerby Joseph back or trading for Joey Porter Jr. would certainly help on paper, but the pressure is on Sheppard to show he can orchestrate a competent defense.
Loser: Dan Campbell, HC
This quote at halftime stuck with me—not because I disagree with it, but because I should be agreeing more with it:
Campbell is 100-percent right: the little [things] are killing this team. Whether it is missed assignments, misplays, or untimely penalties, the Lions shot themselves in the foot a lot on Thursday. If anything, it is impressive that the game ended up being as close as it was. The Lions looked completely unprepared and, dare I say, unmotivated against one of the best teams in the league. For a team that prides itself on being competitive, where was the competitiveness this night?
My biggest gripe with this quote is that it is not enough. Sure, the little things are killing this team, but how about your defense that is incapable of making a stop without the opposition messing up on their own? This game was not a failure of a bunch of small things. It was a fundamental failure of half of this roster. Maybe this is just coach speak, but I certainly hope there is understanding that the Lions are severely underperforming, and that reflects heavily on Campbell’s leadership. We cannot be focused on cleaning up small mistakes when the big ones are the root of their struggles. On the Titanic, you can’t complain about a paint scratch when the iceberg is sinking the ship.
Winner: Aidan Hutchinson, DE
Hutchinson is the best player on the Lions defense and it is not even close. On nearly every snap, he is giving his all and making an impact. Any time the Bills offense stalled, Hutchinson was at the center of it—pressuring Josh Allen, wrapping up runners, holding the edge (unlike many his defensive teammates). On a night when the defense was horrible, Hutchinson was a rare exception. He finished the night with one sack and nearly had a second if not for an incredible play from Allen.
Normally, a dominant defensive end like Hutchinson would take over a game. Yet when the secondary is struggling to cover for even a split second, it wounds up not mattering.
Losers: Secondary (minus D.J. Reed)
People will be quick to fault the entire secondary for this awful performance, but we should at least exclude Reed from the group. Is he an elite lockdown corner? No. Is he a liability? Far from it. On a night when Josh Allen threw the ball 31 times, Reed was rarely targeted—he is doing his part, not to mention being a strong run defender.
The problem is everyone else in the secondary. Rock Ya-Sin continues to struggle (putting it mildly), and he even exited this game with an injury. Teams will continue to pick on him and win. As for the safeties, Chuck Clark was okay, but the play of Thomas Harper and Avonte Maddox was felt in a negative way. Both safeties looked discombobulated on numerous snaps, failing to pass off coverage or outright missing their assignment. Worse for Maddox, he left the game in crutches.
The Lions flat out cannot go on a playoff run with a secondary playing like this. At this rate, I’m not sure if the return of Joseph and Branch even fixes the problem.
Losers: Larry Borom, Juice Scruggs, and Ben Bartch, OL
The injury replacements looked like injury replacements. After a solid Week 1 outing from Bartch and Scruggs, the two linemen struggled mightily on Thursday night. Their pass protection was awful for most of the game, with Goff having to weather inside pressure on a frequent basis. Scruggs was also responsible for a penalty on a false start.
Borom was the worst of the trio. Filling in for Blake Miller, who likely would have suited up if it was not a short week, he was easily the weakest link of the line. In pass protection, he was on skates. In run defense, he was generating zero push. Worse yet, he was flagged twice, penalties that killed drives. For a player brought in to solidify the swing tackle spot, he has yet to prove he is an upgrade over Dan Skipper.
The Lions offense was surprisingly effective for how bad the offensive line was. Hopefully they can put together a more rounded offensive performance when their usual starters return to full health.
Winner: Jared Goff, QB
Goff was quietly superb against the Bills. Some people will argue he padded his stats with garbage time, but he was genuinely on point for most of the night. He stayed turnover-free, navigated many collapsing pockets, and delivered some strikes amid tight windows. He finished with 327 yards and four touchdown passes to little fanfare. He and Amon-Ra St. Brown once again flexed their chemistry, the only shame is that it took until the second half for it to materialize.
Early on, the offense was stalling, but it was not his fault—too often the offensive line was resulting in negative plays, either via penalty or sack. Borom, in particular, was getting beat like a drum off the right side, but Goff largely weathered the storm. Despite pressure from the interior, he was able to stay upright and make plays when it counted. If the Lions had any type of competent defense, this would have been viewed as a heroic outing from Goff.
I have a lot of confidence in the offense going forward despite some recent speedbumps. At the end of the day, the Lions have a great quarterback at the helm.
Loser: Jack Campbell, LB
Fresh off an All-Pro season and a sizeable $81 million contract, Campbell is not living up to expectations. He had a poor game against the New Orleans Saints last week, but he was dreadful against the Bills. In particular, his coverage took a nose dive. The Bills were exploiting the Lions linebackers in cover with their tight ends, and Campbell was at fault often. Dalton Kincaid nearly went for 100 yards, while both he and Dawson Knox caught touchdown passes. Campbell was also called for a holding penalty that negated a sack.
Josh Allen is a weapon, but you would hope that your All-Pro linebacker could be a solid counter. Instead, he was sadly one of the Lions’ multiple weaknesses on Thursday night.
Winner and Loser: Run game
Is it safe to say that the Lions would be a bottom-tier team without Jahmyr Gibbs? For as important as Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown are, it is clear that Gibbs is the engine of the offense. The Lions offense looked sluggish to start the game aside for Gibbs, who casually accounted for 71 of the Lions’ 90 yards on offense in the first half. Because of the defensive incompetence, Detroit had to abandon the run for most of the second half, and when he had to carry the ball—often on second-and-10, to my annoyance—he was typically met with zero room to operate. That killed his average, finishing with just 52 yards on 16 carries. However, he was very active as a receiver, adding six catches for 61 yards and a touchdown.
It is a difficult situation for the Lions. Their offense thrives when they have a lead so they can pound the ball with Gibbs. However, if they trail too often, passing becomes a priority over rushing. Suddenly, the Lions are facing a conundrum: do you force feed your best player even when the script doesn’t fit, or do you become one-dimensional?
I have zero concern with Gibbs going forward. In fact, I like how this run game has looked so far, even if the stats don’t back it up Thursday night. My concern is that the Lions are not putting themselves into situations that maximize his potential—and that comes back to having a bad defense.
