Bills bounce back, earn gritty win over NFC's best Detroit Lions, 48-42

After a brutal loss last week, the Bills managed to bounce back in a big way, and secure themselves as a top tier team in the NFL. The win also cements Josh Allen as the league's MVP.

David Faux | 1 Hour Ago

Dec 15, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) throws a pass against the Detroit Lions in the second quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

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After last week’s scoring palooza, the Buffalo Bills wasted no time writing the sequel, as they won 48-42 over the NFC’s best team in the Detroit Lions. After a brutal loss to the Rams last week, the Bills and Lions combined for 90 points, 1,080 total yards, and 58 first downs. An absurd game that the Bills, thankfully, were on the right end of this time around.

Inspire-Joe Brady, Josh Allen, and ALL of the running backs

Dec 15, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) runs for a touchdown against the Detroit Lions in the third quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Last week we saw what happens when a team’s offensive play caller is pulling all the right levers, because that’s what Sean McVay did to the Bills last week. Joe Brady did that this week, and against a defense that, while certainly beat up, is still well coached and has talent in the secondary. None of that mattered, because Joe Brady had Aaron Glenn in a blender all game long. In the few instances where Brady’s call was covered, insert 2024 NFL MVP, Joshua Patrick Allen. It doesn’t matter if Allen is flushed from the pocket, he’ll find a way to get the ball 50 yards downfield to Keon Coleman. It doesn’t matter if your team has all the momentum, and it’s 3rd & 3, he’ll hit a dime on a simply ridiculous throw to Dalton Kincaid. Allen was pinpoint and electric through the entire game against a very tough, gritty Lions defense. Allen finished the game with 23/34 for 362 passing yards, and a pair of passing touchdowns, in addition to rushing 11 times for 68 yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns. On top of that, James Cook went over 100 rushing yards and a pair of TDs, Ray Davis had a few touches including a receiving score, and Ty Johnson continued his strong play as a receiver, leading the team in receiving and notched five catches for 114 yards. It was as complete of a performance from the Bills offense that anyone could have concocted, and the Bills and their offense are getting hot right at the perfect time.

Buffalo Bills running back Ty Johnson (26) catches a pass during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. / Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This team has made a concerted effort to find the proper balance offensively over the last few seasons, hoping that former offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey would be able to find it. When it was clear that Dorsey was not the answer, Sean McDermott moved on and promoted Joe Brady. Brady took a not all that great playbook and philosophy, turned things on down the stretch of 2023, and fully earned the current play calling job. This season has proven why McDermott had faith in the young, fiery coach, as he absolutely schemed his way around another smart, fiery play caller on the other side in Aaron Glenn. This was a special day for the Bills, and it should not be lost on anyone that despite a tough loss, this team didn’t get down on themselves, and they responded against the best team in the league in a major way.

Inquire-Defensive Line:

Dec 15, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) gets sacked by Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau (50) and defensive tackle Ed Oliver (91) in the third quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

After getting completely worked over in the Rams game the week before, the Bills’ defensive line certainly came with a mission to attack the Lions, and attack they did. Ed Oliver alone accounted for 10 pressures, and a sack, with Greg Rousseau and Christian Benford notching sacks as well, the first of Benford’s career. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the defensive line come to play, as they had a pretty similar performance against the Kansas City Chiefs, a tough offensive line in their own right on the interior. So we know that this defensive line, which has talent and resources poured into it, is capable of playing well. Which only begs the question, why aren’t they more consistent week to week? Some weeks aren’t going to be great for you, but the defensive line has had more bad games than good, yet the good games have come against the elite teams of the league. Is that a good omen for the playoffs where the defensive line has often disappeared? Is it a concern that this unit seems to need more motivation? It’s hard to say, but hopefully this performance will carry through down the stretch and into the postseason.

Require-Special Teams:

Dec 15, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26) gets tackled by Buffalo Bills cornerback Cam Lewis (39) and linebacker Terrel Bernard (43) after picking up a first down in the second quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

All in all, it was actually a pretty solid special teams performance from the Bills today. After last week’s sloppiness with the blocked punt and not having enough men for the final return, the Bills managed to not let special teams get in the way today. The Bills recovered two onside kick attempts, played well in punt and kick coverage, and has it not been for an odd swing of the leg on a chip shot field goal from Bass, the Bills actually did very well, particularly when considering the Lions are one of the better special teams units in the NFL.

Irk-Not quite putting the game away:

Detroit Lions wide receiver Tim Patrick (17) dives for a touchdown against Buffalo Bills cornerback Christian Benford (47) during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The offense did everything it could, scoring 48 points, and never letting the foot off the gas during the game. While the defense certainly started the game extremely well, getting pressure on Goff and forcing punts, attrition in the form of injuries to Matt Milano and Cole Bishop. Once Baylon Spector came into the game, he became the priority target for Ben Johnson and Jared Goff, as they continuously attacked him underneath and forced him to make tackles in space. It absolutely worked, and it kept the Lions within scratching distance of getting this game equalized. While the Lions certainly deserve credit for not buckling under the pressure, the defense did play well until they simply got overworked with injuries. While 42 points is certainly not something you want to give up to any team, the Bills defense clearly played better than last week, finding ways to stifle the Detroit running game in particular, and forcing the Lions to become one-dimensional through the air. Certainly the constant scoring barrage from the Bills helped, but it’s still a worthy performance from the Bills defense today.

What’s next for the Buffalo Bills?

The Bills will return home to Buffalo and face a moribund New England Patriots team. While divisional games should never be overlooked, and the Bills have had some odd troubles with bad Patriots teams before, the Pats are too talent poor, and too inexperienced as a coaching staff to overcome the Bills and what they’re doing right now. An easy stretch of games to end the season will give the Bills an easy path to the 2 seed in the AFC, and if things just so happen to break their way, they still have an outside shot at the 1 seed should Kansas City stumble through the end of the regular season.