Ahead of Sunday’s AFC-NFC showdown and potential Super Bowl preview between the Lions (12-1) and the Bills (10-3) in Detroit, Bills beat writer Joe Buscaglia and Lions beat writer Colton Pouncy dove into how teams have been able to put up points recently against both defenses, the straw that stirs the drink of each offense and much more.
Buscaglia: Okay Colton, let’s get right to it. The Bills and Lions have been two behemoths this year in the NFL, but both are coming off thrilling, high-scoring affairs with questions about their defense. What’s gone into some of the Lions’ defensive shortcomings?
Pouncy: Really, it’s just injuries. They’ve been hit insanely hard by the injury bug, and their once-strong defense has tailed off a bit as a result.
Here’s Detroit’s projected starting lineup heading into the year: DE Aidan Hutchinson, DT Alim McNeill, DT DJ Reader, DE Marcus Davenport, LB Derrick Barnes, LB Alex Anzalone, LB Jack Campbell, CB Carlton Davis III, CB Terrion Arnold, S Brian Branch, S Kerby Joseph.
Here’s a lineup the Lions trotted out vs. the Packers late in the fourth quarter, and where the replacements came from:
DE Jonah Williams (added from Rams’ practice squad in late November), DT Pat O’Connor (elevated from Lions’ practice squad), DT Myles Adams (Seahawks’ practice squad in late November), DE Al-Quadin Muhammad (free agent, released by Cowboys in August; added by Lions in October), LB Trevor Nowaske (waived by Cardinals in August; claimed by the Lions), LB David Long (free agent, released by Dolphins and added by Lions in November), LB Jack Campbell, CB Carlton Davis III, CB Terrion Arnold, S Brandon Joseph (backup safety), S Kerby Joseph.
They’ve done their best to keep it together, but that’s been done with duct tape and rubber bands.
Joe, what led to the Rams’ 44-point outing on Sunday?
Buscaglia: Oh, where to begin! The Bills have shown some warning signs on defense and their penchant for allowing explosive plays. But they’ve also been borderline masterful at the ever-so-cliché tactic of bend but don’t break, making some good in-game adjustments to prevent it from being a full-game problem, forcing turnovers along the way. But in Los Angeles, none of that happened.
The defensive line got bowled over repeatedly in the run game, and by the time they were able to limit the run, Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp and even Tutu Atwell were in full force. They challenged the Bills vertically with a power run game early, horizontally with end arounds to Nacua and even outside of the tackles stuff, which eventually put them right where the Rams wanted for play-action passing.
The good news for the Bills is I don’t think they’re that bad. They’ve had two games like this where it’s been a head-scratching showing on defense — against the Rams and Week 4 in Baltimore. The bad news is that they’re going against the Rams offense times five this week against the Lions, so if they can piece it all together, that would truly be a big statement.
Speaking of that Rams times five team. Let’s get to the real reason this game is a must-see for casual viewers and has a ::checks notes:: 54.5-point total (!). Where does it all start for the Lions offense and why have they been able to sustain drive after drive this season?
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Pouncy: They just have so many different ways they can beat you. It’s pretty remarkable. Obviously, it all starts with the run game and an excellent offensive line. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs are the league’s best running back duo, and the Lions use them interchangeably. But on rare occasions, their typical efficiency escapes them. We saw it vs. the Packers on Thursday, held to just 94 yards on 29 rushes. Green Bay did an excellent job containing “Sonic and Knuckles,” as they call themselves, and wrapping up. But even when that does happen, the Lions can adjust. They hit the screen game hard to pick up yards. They spread the wealth in the passing game, with Jared Goff becoming the first QB in NFL history to complete at least five passes to six different receivers in a game. And Ben Johnson deployed some masterful play designs, like lining Amon-Ra St. Brown up in the backfield to free up Tim Patrick for a score. They’ve been playing together for years and their continuity shines when they need it most.
That’s a TP TD on 4th down❗️#GBvsDET | 📺 @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/Yh0zhat64e
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 6, 2024
Joe, Josh Allen feels like he’s in the middle of a career year. What’s led to his success this year, and does it feel different to you as someone who’s covered him over his career?
Buscaglia: You are spot on about Allen. There is a reason he is the runaway favorite for NFL MVP at the moment, and that’s because he has been the best quarterback in the league. It’s been a long road to this point, but without question, Allen is playing the best football of his career, and it goes so far beyond his statistics. It’s processing, ball placement, decision-making and pocket poise all wrapped into one, and then when you insert the back-breaking scramble ability along with the psycho-mode capabilities we saw last weekend against the Rams, I’m not sure how you defend the guy for a full game.
I’ll be brief, but his career has been like a video game, defeating a boss at the end of each level. Early in his career, his ball placement was an issue. He worked furiously to improve it in and out of season. Then teams found throwing Cover-0 blitzes would force him into mistakes and he learned how to defeat that the next year. From there, teams tried man-to-man coverage to challenge his accuracy, and he blew that to smithereens. Then it became the Cover-2 shell phenomenon, using Allen’s aggressive nature against him and forcing him into throwing errors all game with a heavy zone approach.
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It worked for a while, and that’s what led to a lot of difficulty last season. Allen learned to stay collected in the pocket, take what’s given and force defenders to creep up throughout the game before burning them on the second level later on. If Allen isn’t making mistakes and is taking what the defense is giving him, it leads to a lot of questions about how to defend him. And it seems by the looks of things this year, defensive coordinators across the league are running into the same problem.
But the hidden MVP of the whole year has been the Bills’ offensive line, who have been excellent pass blockers and have allowed the Bills to stay balanced with a rushing attack. That leads me to the Lions powerhouse five. What makes them so good, Colton? And what are your feelings on how this super-fun matchup could turn out?
Pouncy: I’m not kidding when I say this: Penei Sewell should be in the offensive player of the year discussion. He’s been that good. Every time the Lions need short yards in a key situation, they typically pick them up behind Sewell. When their offense gets stagnant, they’ll work the screen game with Sewell in space blocking. He’s one of the best athletes I’ve seen on a football field, and there aren’t many dudes who can do what he does. He’s an offensive weapon — one the Lions take advantage of.
Along with Sewell is an All-Pro center in Frank Ragnow. His ability to see the defense is an underappreciated part of his game. They added 2023 Pro Bowl guard Kevin Zeitler this offseason and sandwiched him between Ragnow and Sewell. He’s having an All-Pro caliber season himself. Left tackle Taylor Decker has been banged up, but he’s a steady piece when healthy. And while Graham Glasgow hasn’t had his best season, if he’s your weak link, your offensive line is pretty good. They pave the way for the backs to do their thing while keeping Goff upright. Never underestimate the value of a great offensive line.
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As for this matchup, man, I’m pumped. We could be watching a Super Bowl preview Sunday afternoon. How fun would that be? Two fanbases starved for a Lombardi. Two teams that have proved capable of winning in different ways.
The Lions should be rested with some extra time off following the Thursday game. They expect to get some guys back from injury. That said, I kinda like the Bills in this one. But man, it should be a fun one regardless.
Joe, how do you see this one playing out?
Buscaglia: That Lions offensive line is no joke. Especially after what the Rams did to their defensive line last week, the Bills should have some real concerns about that entire group in trying to limit Montgomery and Gibbs. And making matters worse is that the Bills could be without a starting cornerback Rasul Douglas and starting safety Taylor Rapp. That would likely put two inexperienced players into the defensive lineup. The Bills would have the choice to go with Kaiir Elam (often healthy scratch, nine career starts) or Ja’Marcus Ingram (zero career starts) at cornerback and would likely go with rookie Cole Bishop (one start) at safety. Points should be aplenty on Sunday, given the state of these two defenses.
But in getting a feel for the building this week, the Bills are ticked off about how Sunday went in Los Angeles. It’s a different vibe than when they were on their two-game losing streak last season. They also know that if they have any hope of getting the AFC’s No. 1 seed, which they stated is a goal, this is a must-win. It leads me to believe that we’ll see a response from the Bills defense this week. They can’t do much more on offense than they did last week, but with their defensive front, there is nowhere to go but up.
I think there will be big plays and lots of points because the Lions are too good on offense to keep away from explosive plays and off the scoreboard. However, the talent along the Bills’ defensive line should be able to respond well this week in helping to limit, not stop, that Lions rushing attack. If they can do that just enough, and Josh Allen continues his MVP-moment campaign, the Bills can come away with this one in a close, scorefest of a matchup.
(Photos: Mike Mulholland, Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
