Facing one of the NFL’s best teams and a leading MVP candidate, the Detroit Lions fell short of the Buffalo Bills’ offensive attack, 48-42, led by quarterback Josh Allen, this past Sunday at Ford Field.
Detroit entered the evening at 12-1, one win behind the Kansas City Chiefs for the best record in the NFL. Buffalo was in a strong position in the AFC with a head-to-head win over the Chiefs, but still a few games behind them at 10-3.
On the opening drive, the Lions had a three-and-out drive, leading to a long punt that put the Bills at their 27-yard line. Allen got to work on the Lions’ secondary, firing a 33-yard pass to running back Ty Johnson to Detroit’s 35-yard line. Allen found Johnson again on third down, bringing Buffalo to Detroit’s six-yard line. A strong push from the offensive line and Allen led to an easy rushing touchdown for the quarterback.
The second drive for the Detroit offense didn’t have much going, either. Jared Goff was sacked twice on the possession, leading to another Lions punt. As soon as the ball was back in Allen’s hands for Buffalo, he found his running back, James Cook, for a huge 28-yard gain. The Lions again found themselves backed up against the end zone a couple of plays later. Allen followed his right tackle in for yet another rushing touchdown.
Allen poses a tough challenge for the Detroit defense. Not only does he have a cannon of an arm in the pocket, but his speed and ability to make plays outside the pocket make him a matchup nightmare.
When it seemed Detroit could be in for a long day, the Lions got cooking. They leaned on stud running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who racked up 36 yards on the drive. He had two great runs, giving the Lions two much-needed first downs.
The drive culminated with an outstanding touchdown catch for wide receiver Tim Patrick. The veteran slammed on the brakes as he nearly went out of bounds before turning upfield and stretching for the score. Detroit was very much still alive, down 14-7.
Unfortunately, Allen remained on the other sideline and was ready to answer. The QB found his tight end, Dawson Knox, on first down for a big 19-yard gain. A few plays later, on fourth down at Buffalo’s 49, Allen uncorked a 31-yard pass to Johnson, bringing the Bills into Detroit’s red zone. Cook finished the drive with a rushing touchdown, keeping the Lions at arm’s length up 21-7.
Goff was quick to pick the Lions up. He found wide receiver Jameson Williams for an 18-yard gain, and on fourth down at Buffalo’s 46, he connected with all-pro Amon-Ra St. Brown for 21 yards.
Goff got it done with his legs, too; the typically non-mobile QB picked up a huge first down on third down, scrambling on a broken play. Finally, the Lion’s offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, dialed up a great trick play to find offensive lineman Dan Skipper for a receiving touchdown. The 6’9″ lineman reported as eligible and rumbled his way in for six.
After both teams missed field goals in the waning minutes of the half, the score stood at 21-14 in favor of Buffalo.
The visiting team received the ball coming out of the half. It took Buffalo only four plays to find the endzone again, this time courtesy of a 41-yard run from Cook.
Detroit had no response on their ensuing drive, going three-and-out yet again. The defense came up with a stop and forced a punt after eight plays. A promising Lions drive was abruptly stopped with a fumble by St. Brown, giving all momentum back to the Bills.
With great field positioning after the fumble and a facemask penalty on the Lions, Buffalo only took five plays to score yet another touchdown. Allen linked up with receiver Khalil Shakir, bringing the Bills’ lead to 35-14.
Detroit needed to score, and they needed to do it fast. After Williams dropped a would-be 59-yard touchdown pass from Goff, the Lions faced a long third down at their own 34-yard line. St. Brown made up for his earlier fumble, getting free for a 66-yard touchdown catch. The Lions would just not go away.
After the defense held Buffalo to a field goal, Goff returned to the field and orchestrated a dominant five-play, five-pass drive that gave Detroit another touchdown. This time, Gibbs took a pass from Goff to the house.
Facing a 10-point deficit at 38-28 with 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Lions elected to kick an onside kick. The Bills recovered it and scored immediately on the next play, which was another easy passing touchdown for Allen.
The questionable call from the Lions’ head coach, Dan Campbell, may have altered the game, but the team was still ready to fight until the end. Goff again took the field and marched the Lions down in an 11-play drive, culminating in another Gibbs rushing touchdown. With eight minutes to go, Detroit faced a 10-point deficit, badly needing a turnover or a stop to get the ball back and score.
But Josh Allen was not to be denied. It was just his day; Buffalo again drove the length of the field led by Allen’s arm and legs. He had a pass of 22 yards and a run for 22 yards on back-to-back plays. The drive ended with a field goal after a miraculous Allen chest pass for a touchdown was called back for offensive holding. The six-minute drive left only about two minutes left for the Lions to operate, stuck in a 13-point hole.
Detroit was able to manufacture one last score with another Goff pass to Williams. However, there was not enough time left on the clock for anything but another onside kick. The Bills recovered, and the game was over at 48-42.
Both quarterbacks had incredible games: Goff went 38/59 with 494 yards and five touchdowns, while Allen went 23/34 with 362 yards and two touchdowns through the air with 68 rushing yards and two touchdowns from the ground.
