The Buffalo Bills are ready to properly usher in the new era of Highmark Stadium, hosting the Detroit Lions in the team’s inaugural regular-season game in their new stadium. In many ways, it’s as fitting a team as it gets for this moment.
Founding owner Ralph C. Wilson Jr. called home just 12 miles northeast of downtown Detroit. When he brought the Bills to the newly formed AFL, to properly field a team in those fledgling years Wilson called on the Lions in a successful effort to adopt and adapt some
of their uniforms as the Bills’ own.
But tonight is about the here and now, despite any bit of fond history tying these two rust-belt franchises to each other. To get us up to speed about the Lions, I connected with senior editor Ryan Mathews of Pride of Detroit to see what’s what with this year’s Lions team. It might only be Week 2, but there’s plenty of data to soak in from Week 1, and Mathews kindly obliges our ever-present analytical football brain.
Below, we touch on everything from what transpired against the New Orleans Saints and if it’s a concern heading into a game with the Bills, plus how Goff might approach things on the road in Buffalo. We also tackle Detroit’s offensive line situation, namely the large amount of injuries to the starting unit; and similarly, we dive into how the Lions are making due with the loss of both starting safeties.
Finally, we get some insight into keys to success for Detroit, and how it all may play out. Be sure to check out the rest of Ryan Mathew’s work with Pride of Detroit, which itself is among the best team sites in SB Nation. You can find my Bills-focused responses to Ryan’s five questions for Week 2 by visiting PoD, and by downloading the new SB Nation app and adding Pride of Detroit as one of your team sites for this matchup.
Ready? “Football down,“ as Brady says!
1. Detroit found luck in Week 1. In allowing you to catch Rumblings readers up a bit if needed, what happened against the Saints to have allowed the to get back into things down 21-7 and then nearly steal a win with mere seconds left in OT — and what, if anything concerns you as a potential carry-over into TNF?
The defense looked really strong in the first half. It was the first time since 2015 that a Lions defense put together a shutout half with a sack, an interception, and fewer than 115 total net yards. Seems sort of specific, but it paints a pretty clear picture of how stout the defense was — and how stark the contrast was between the two halves. Tyler Shough was 10-of-22 for 85 yards in the first half, averaging 1.82 adjusted yards per attempt. In the second half, he went 20-of-28 for 252 yards, two touchdowns, and 8.82 AY/A. A couple of things were at play, but mostly it was an uneven secondary still finding its fit, DC Kelvin Sheppard sticking with the blitz a bit too much, and the defense simply getting gassed. Alim McNeill played 83 snaps, Aidan Hutchinson played 75, and Jack Campbell played all 90 defensive snaps. The easiest way to play fewer snaps is to get yourself off the field, and Detroit’s defense had plenty of chances to do that and didn’t get it done.
But for as much criticism as the defense has taken, the offense wasn’t much better. They went 5-for-13 on third down, with just five of 14 drives lasting more than five plays. They capitalized on timely defensive turnovers, turning two into touchdowns, but the offense needs to do a better job sustaining drives and staying ahead of the sticks. It would help, too, if Detroit’s playmakers could get busy after the catch. Last year, the Lions finished first in yards after catch (148.5 YAC/g), but last week, they managed just 114 after the catch.
Get ready for game day with SB Nation’s new app!
SB Nation’s NEW game chat feature in the app is perfect for keeping the latest Bills game-day conversations and updates at your fingertips.
- Fewer ads
- Seamlessly jump between communities and conversations
- Faster commenting and posting experience!
Download the SB Nation app on iOS or Android.
2. It appeared as though Jared Goff was either unwilling or unable to work the football downfield through the air last Sunday. What played into that, and have you seen anything that might lead you to believe he’ll respond differently against the Bills?
Goff and the Lions’ offense took some shots downfield against the Saints in Week 1. Maybe not to the clip as in years prior, but as mentioned earlier, Detroit was unusually bad on third down, so they really didn’t get into many situations where they could take big shots down the field — they were just struggling to get to first down once they had the ball.
Anyway, Detroit will need to be the more physical team up front if they want to see that improve, and their receivers, arguably one of the top-three duos in the league, need to take advantage of the opportunities. For example, on 1st & 10 from their own 37-yard line, Goff put one on Jameson Williams that would have put the Lions in the red zone had he held onto it. There’s no reason to believe Drew Petzing saw anything in Week 1 that would have him shy away from attacking down the field.
3. The Lions are seemingly up against it with so many injuries along the offensive line. How might Detroit handle now being down starters in OT Blake Miller, OG Christian Mahogany, in addition to Juice Scruggs having taken over at center for the short term, and Penei Sewell making his second start at left tackle?
Blake Miller being out is a bummer, but it’s Week 2. Detroit had to be encouraged by how ready Miller looked in Week 1 against the Saints, and this Lions team knows the regular season isn’t the finish line.
Detroit also brought in Larry Borom in free agency, and he was truly an insurance plan had the board not shook out in Detroit’s favor as it ended up doing. Borom had 11 starts last year in Miami — playing 664 snaps all at right tackle — and he was used in some jumbo package work last week, so hopefully there’s less rust and more readiness to expect from a veteran like him.
As for Mahogany, what happened to him was unfortunate, but Detroit was actually entertaining the idea of working in veteran Ben Bartch into last week’s game plan via a guard rotation. Mahogany’s injury simply forced Detroit’s hand and earned Bartch the opportunity to show he is a very capable player when healthy.
It’s certainly a hit to the depth in both spots, though, and as a result, Detroit is now an injury away from Miles Frazier — a second-year player who only had 46 snaps of action his rookie season, had a bit of an up-and-down preseason trying to find his footing at guard or tackle — or potentially Devin Cochran, a swing tackle with just 152 snaps since 2022.
4. How has the defense adjusted to losing safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph?
Not well, and it’s very much a work in progress to find the right mix of players and get them into the best fit.
They have a group of veterans at safety including Avonte Maddox and Chuck Clark, but they will get Christian Izien back after he missed the first game. He could be the team’s slot corner, moving Roger McCreary to another spot–maybe outside corner if D.J. Reed can’t go on that foot injury— and setting off a bit of a domino effect. While it’d be a plus to get Izien back, who had earned a job with the defense in camp, it would reset the chemistry building to zero.
5. The Bills welcome the Lions for the home opener in their brand-new stadium. It’s certain to be a crazy atmosphere in primetime. Buffalo struggled to contain the Houston Texans’ offense in Week 1 for large chunks of the game, yet like Detroit they found a way to win. How do you see things playing out in this game and what’s the biggest key to decide if Detroit wins or loses in Week 2?
A huge key for the Lions will be their performance on third down, on both sides of the football. Detroit allowed New Orleans to convert 8-0f-17 third downs (47.1%), a clip that would have had them rank third in the NFL in 2025.
Their defense needs to do a better job getting off the field, and their offense needs to do a better job staying on it. Even if the Lions marginally improve in both of those areas, it would greatly increase their chances of hanging in this one with the Bills. If they continue to struggle, it’ll be a long night while Buffalo breaks in their new digs.
Detroit plays some more complementary football, more sustainable football, but ultimately, Allen and Co. are just too much against this secondary: Bills, 30-24.
My thanks to Ryan Mathews for a fantastic round of five questions. As mentioned at the outset, be sure to check out the rest of Ryan’s work with Pride of Detroit, and consider adding PoD as one of your favorite team sites in the new SB Nation app.
You’ll find my responses in the 5Q hot seat over at PoD, as well!
