Josh Allen makes NFL history and James Cook finds his rhythm as Buffalo overcomes a wave of injuries to dominate Detroit in their electric new stadium opener.
For the third straight season, the Buffalo Bills are 2-0 to start the season. With emotion and excitement at a fever pitch, the Bills opened up their brand-new stadium in prime time with a 41-31 win over the Detroit Lions on Thursday night.
The night started with concern after Ed Oliver suffered a hip injury in warmups, causing him to be inactive. Another big injury came in the second quarter with DJ Moore leaving with what the team called a stinger. It left the fans with questions, but it wasn't enough to dampen what was an altogether impressive offensive performance by Joe Brady's team.
Here are the positives and negatives from Buffalo's win over Detroit.
Bills vs. Lions Instant Reactions
Positives
Joshua Patrick Allen - Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Josh Allen made NFL history on Monday. With his 5-touchdown performance against the Lions, Allen became the first player in NFL history to pass for 5+ touchdowns and rush for 3+ through the first two games of a season. Allen finished 20-31 for 248 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 11 carries for 72 yards and two touchdowns rushing.
Greg Rousseau’s two-sack day - Another week, another two-sack game for Buffalo’s top pass rusher. Rousseau added two sacks in the first half along with a forced fumble that was recovered by Detroit. Rousseau finished with three tackles, two sacks, and four QB hits.
James Cook bounces back - After just 57 yards on 13 carries in Week 1, Cook bounced back with 101 yards in the first half alone. He ended the game with 135 yards and a touchdown.
Keon Coleman - The 2024 second-round pick had just one catch against Houston. That wasn’t the case this week. Coleman hauled in 6 passes for 63 yards, including a key 9-yard catch on 3rd and 3 in the 4th quarter.
Dalton Kincaid’s hot start continues - I said that the Bills likely win if Kincaid had at least 5 catches. Against the Lions, Kincaid had 7 catches for 95 yards and a touchdown. With 225 yards in two weeks, the former first-round pick is nearly halfway to his entire 2025 receiving total.
Bills domination against Detroit - The Bills have won six straight games over the Lions dating back to 2006 and are 8-1 over the last nine going back to 1997. It’s now been 35 years since Detroit has won in Buffalo as well, falling to 0-5 since 1991.
Negatives
Tyler Bass’ missed extra point - You just can’t miss an extra point. That’s it.
Injuries to key players - First it was Ed Oliver hurting his hip in pre-game warmups, then it was DJ Moore leaving the game with what the team called a “stinger”. Losing two key players just two weeks into the season isn’t going to instill confidence in much of the fanbase. We’ll see how much time they’ll miss in the coming days.
The offense without DJ Moore - Before Moore’s injury, the Bills offense was moving the ball as it did against Houston. There were short passes, runs, and downfield looks. When Moore left in the second quarter, everything seemed to change.
The Bills didn’t try to push the ball downfield. They also only scored on one of the three offensive drives without Moore. If he’s going to be out long-term, Buffalo’s offensive strategy might be shifting in a big way.
Defensive mistakes - The Bills started strong on defense, allowing the team to build a 21-0 lead. But their good play didn’t last. Once again, the team left receivers wide open all over the field, failed to get off the field on fourth down twice, and let the Lions stick around. Failure to close on defense has been the Achilles' heel for years, and it’s rearing its ugly head again.
The defense gave up 31 points for the second week in a row. They allowed Goff to throw for 327 yards and 4 touchdowns, and Amon-Ra St. Brown had nine catches for 142 yards and two scores.
Defensive play like that just isn't sustainable, especially as the season goes on.
Fourth-down defense - The Bills have allowed opposing offenses to go 4-4 on 4th down this season. The Lions went 2-2 on Thursday, including a 4th and 18 late. This all comes back to the defense's inability to close.
Davison Igbinosun - It was a problem in college, and through two games it’s been a problem again. For the second game in a row, the rookie cornerback from Ohio State was called for defensive holding. This time, it came on 4th and 8, giving the Lions new life on a drive that ended with a touchdown. If he wants to be trusted on the field, he needs to play smart.
Missed tackles - Like an NBA player missing free throws, missed tackles will drive me up a wall. When the Lions offense started to move the ball, a number of their bigger plays happened because of missed tackles. Whether it was Dee Alford or Dorian Williams, there needs to be a heavy emphasis on tackling moving forward.
Jim Leonhard has publicly called out the team’s inability to finish at the ball in the past. It’s time for what the team does on the field to back up his words.
