The Lions nearly blew a 21-point lead last week. Against Josh Allen and the Bills, Detroit won’t have room for mistakes. Here are three keys that could decide Thursday night’s showdown.
The Detroit Lions will be back in action tomorrow for Thursday Night Football on Prime Video. First things first, if you do not have Prime but live in the local market, you will still be able to watch the game.
Detroit will have their hands full taking on Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, and this game could certainly turn into another shootout. Two years ago, the Lions faced off against the Bills, with Buffalo coming away with a 48–42 victory. Detroit didn’t go down quietly, as Jared Goff threw for 494 yards and five touchdowns.
For Thursday night, I have three keys to victory that could help Detroit defeat Buffalo.
Key 1: Jameson Williams
It was a rough outing for Jameson Williams last week, but if he can make those big-play catches against Buffalo, it could help Detroit immensely.
The Bills allowed receptions of 25 and 35 yards last week against the Houston Texans. There will almost certainly be at least one opportunity for a deep pass to Williams, and it will be up to him to convert it. I believe he can.
One of my bold predictions this week is that Williams bounces back with 100-plus receiving yards and a touchdown.
Key 2: Interior Pressure
The Lions’ edge rushers will have to stay disciplined and contain Josh Allen’s legs, which could leave it up to Alim McNeill and Tyleik Williams to create pressure from the interior.
If the duo can consistently get pressure on Allen and force him into making risky decisions, the Lions could capitalize in a big way. Allen is not afraid to make risky throws, but it will be up to Detroit to take advantage of those opportunities.
Last week, the Texans managed just two sacks against Buffalo, while their interior defensive linemen were relatively quiet. Their two starting defensive tackles finished with Pro Football Focus pass-rush grades of 65.5 and 60.9.
McNeill came away with a sack for the Lions last week, while Tyleik Williams posted an impressive 76.4 pass-rush grade.
Key 3: Touchdowns, Not Field Goals
With the Lions’ defense playing 90 snaps last week, there is a good chance they could be gassed early in the game, leaving it up to the offense to keep them in it.
Field goals will not be enough to beat Buffalo. Touchdowns will.
I would expect Dan Campbell to be aggressive and take chances on fourth down instead of settling for a field goal when the opportunity presents itself.
Detroit settled for just one field goal against the New Orleans Saints last week, but they still came away with a 31–30 victory. Buffalo is a much tougher opponent, and if Detroit settles for field goals instead of finding the end zone, they could find themselves trailing by double digits fast.
The Lions will need to capitalize on their opportunities, and these three areas could go a long way toward determining whether Detroit leaves Buffalo with a victory.
