Bills at Lions Game Week (extended dance mix edition) thread

[froot loops]

The good thing about the Lions this year is they have so far prevented explosive plays. If you make the Bills matriculate down the field in multiple 8-10 play drives you are in good shape. Their defense is based on always having the lead, they want you throwing the ball 45 times. If the Lions can run like other teams have fun in the Bills, it's a good matchup.

[DanO]

Run game is going to be key. Keep the ball away from Allen and score.

[Cody_Russell]

Agree.
It really should be the plan until some of these defensive players start to come back from injury.

If the Lions defense heavily relies on the blitz again, this game vs the Bills will be wild. Josh Allen’s pocket presence and his ability to either avoid the rush or break tackles. Seems like that can lead to a ton of huge Bills plays from Allen’s improv skills. It’s a tough situation for the Lions defense just based on it’s current personnel. Pick your poison. Lions offense is capable of and will have to put the team on their back on Sunday. As Campbell said vs the Packers, force 1 or 2 turnovers and the Lions can win.

Of course Steelers @ Eagles is on at the same time as the Lions game. Need to get prepared to view two games at once and enjoy the ride.

[Meano.Culpa]

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[whatever_gong82]

From yesterday's paywall. Sorry for the delay.


Since last playing Lions in 2022, the Bills have revamped their offense, lost several key defenders, yet continue to hum

Justin Rogers
Dec 11



Allen Park — It’s been a couple years since the Detroit Lions have seen the Buffalo Bills. They last came to town for Thanksgiving in 2022, handing the Lions their only loss in a seven-game stretch.

It was a wildly entertaining game between one of the league’s top teams and a Lions squad that was starting to turn a corner in coach Dan Campbell’s second season.



Winners of three straight after a 1-6 start, the Lions went toe-to-toe with the Bills in front of the nationally televised audience, tying the game with under a minute remaining in the fourth quarter before quarterback Josh Allen led a quick-strike drive with two completions and a scramble that put the Bills in field goal range for a 45-yard game-winner.

The Bills wouldn’t lose again in the regular season that year, and even though they’ve fallen short of a coveted Super Bowl appearance, they’ve won at least 10 games six straight seasons under coach Sean McDermott. Additionally, they've secured a fifth consecutive AFC East crown this year.


Championship appearance or not, they’ve been one of the league’s premier franchises for the past several years.

But it’s a roster that looks significantly different than the last time the Bills visited. The biggest differences are to Allen’s arsenal. In the backfield, James Cook was a rookie and complementary piece in 2022. He’s now in his second season at the top of the depth chart, threatening a second straight 1,000-yard season. Plus, he's already scored 11 times on the ground after amassing just four rushing touchdowns his first two seasons combined.


Cook is complemented by rookie Ray Davis (495 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns) and a familiar face to Lions fans, speedster Ty Johnson, drafted by Detroit in the sixth round of the 2019 draft.

At tight end, the Bills doubled up at the position in last year's draft, adding Utah's Dalton Kincaid in the first round to supplement — and in many ways supplant — the production of Dawson Knox, who racked up more than 1,000 receiving yards to go with 15 touchdowns from 2021-22.



The offensive has also undergone some changes with former Pro Bowl center Mitch Morse bolting for Jacksonville this offseason. He was replaced by Connor McGovern, who slid over from guard, with former Rams starter David Edwards bumping up the depth chart from his reserve role a year ago to backfill the hole in the starting lineup.

Of course, no position group has had a bigger makeover than the Bills' receiving corps. The team reached the end of its rope with longtime No. 1 option Stefon Diggs, shipping him to Houston for draft considerations. Buffalo also let Gabe Davis, Allen's No. 2 option in 2022 and 2023, leave in free agency this past offseason.


The team restocked its cupboard by signing Curtis Samuel and drafting Keon Coleman in the early stages of the second round. Still, they faced outside questions about whether those moves were enough. Apparently, the sentiments were shared by the organization. They made a mid-season deal with the Cleveland Browns for five-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper to bolster the corps.

His incorporation has been slowed by injuries, but Cooper has played in three straight and is coming off a season-high 95-yard performance against the Rams last week.



Even with those changes, under the guidance of first-year coordinator Joe Brady, the Bills are having one of the most prolific scoring seasons in franchise history, averaging 30.5 points per game. They’ve posted at least 30 points in seven consecutive games and 10 out of 13, overall, going 9-1 in those matchups.

The steady performance of Allen has been key. The QB is a leading MVP candidate with a 23-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He’s added another nine scores on the ground.



Defensively, the Bills have experienced a similar number of changes in the two years since playing the Lions. The unit that finished first in scoring in 2021, and second in 2022, has seen several key departures and one notable performance decline.

Since that previous trip to Detroit, defensive ends Shaq Lawson and Boogie Basham, safety Jordan Poyer, cornerback Tre’Davious White, linebackers Tremain Edmunds and Tyrel Dodson, and defensive tackle Tim Settle have departed.



Additionally, Von Miller, in his third season of a six-year contract he signed with the team in 2022, hasn’t looked anything like a perennial All-Pro since tearing his ACL two years ago. He’s appeared in nine games this season, sandwiched around a four-game suspension. In those contests, he's averaging a little more than 20 snaps while tallying 4.0 sacks.

What’s new? Well, veteran cornerback Rasul Douglas arrived from Green Bay at the trade deadline last year and has been a steady starter in the back end, along with safety Taylor Rapp, a 2023 free-agent addition.



And at linebacker, a pair of former third-round picks, Terrel Bernard (2021) and Dorian Williams (2022), are handling most of the workload after sparse playing time during their respective rookie campaigns. The latter leads the team with 98 tackles, while Bernard has 76 stops and two interceptions.

Similar to the offense, McDermott’s defense remains a force despite the changing pieces, limiting opponents to 20.6 points per game this season and forcing 24 turnovers, which is tied for third in the NFL.




Email: jrogers@detroitfootball.net

X: Justin_Rogers

Bluesky: Justin-Rogers

[whatever_gong82]

'Northern Savages': Lions defense embracing nickname given by Dan Campbell

Paywall article.

Richard Silva
The Detroit News



Allen Park — What the Detroit Lions have been able to do on defense, considering all the injuries on that side of the ball, is nothing short of remarkable.

The Lions are 8-0 since losing Aidan Hutchinson, and despite others going down along the way such as Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez, they're tied for the NFL's second-best scoring defense (18 points allowed per game) and are top 10 in yards surrendered (318.6).


That all led to head coach Dan Campbell, after Detroit beat Green Bay last Thursday, bestowing a nickname upon coordinator Aaron Glenn's squad: The Northern Savages.


"We really are," linebacker Jack Campbell said of his unit's creative moniker. "You've just got a bunch of guys who are just out there flying around and having fun, so I'm going to keep going with the Northern Savage thing. I think that thing is sick. You've just got a bunch of hungry guys out there who are always looking to improve and just love the game of football."

The Lions have 18 players on injured reserve, with 13 of those being defenders and four of them being linebackers (Anzalone, Barnes, Rodriguez and Jalen Reeves-Maybin). Jack Campbell has been a constant in the middle of Detroit's defense, but it's been a revolving door next to him since Anzalone broke his forearm against the Jacksonville Jaguars last month.


Ezekiel Turner, David Long Jr. and Kwon Alexander — signed Nov. 6, Nov. 18 and Nov. 30, respectively — have been huge in helping the Lions withstand their injury woes. They personify the nickname, according to Jack Campbell.

"It's awesome," the LB said of his new teammates stepping up. "... (It's) not an awesome situation because you don't want to see people get hurt, but just seeing new guys step in, (they've) been here for three days and (they're) playing, and we're just holding that same standard. Obviously, we have things to improve on and we've always got things to work on, but we've just got 11 guys right now defensively who are just flying around and having fun."


Jack Campbell isn't sure how his coach came up with Northern Savages, but he's all for it.

"Dude, have you ever heard of Northern Savages for a group of defense?" said Campbell, who added people will have to talk to safety Kerby Joseph about getting the nickname on a shirt. "Again, you get guys who have been here for, like, literally three days, and they do a hell of a job. I think it's just sick."


Don't sleep on James Cook

Quarterback Josh Allen is getting most of the attention ahead of Detroit's matchup with the Bills on Sunday — he's the favorite for MVP, so clearly understandable — but third-year back James Cook and the run game have also been integral in Buffalo's success.



Cook averages 4.6 yards per carry, good for No. 15 in the league. He's found the end zone a total of 12 times this season and has added an extra 204 yards through the air. He's Buffalo's leader in yards from scrimmage (927), nearly 200 yards ahead of receiver Khalil Shakir (739).

"He’s a good runner," Dan Campbell said. "... He can run multiple schemes. He’s kind of a slash-runner, but yet he can run the gap schemes downhill. I think this offensive line — it’s a good unit, man. They play together, they’re pretty physical, finish on blocks."



The Bills grade out eighth-best in pass blocking and 14th-best in run blocking, per Pro Football Focus.

"It goes without saying, we can’t let them start busting runs through there," Campbell said. "We’ve got to be good in the run game and, as much as we can, try to make them one-dimensional."



rsilva@detroitnews.com

@rich_silva18

[whatever_gong82]

‘He’s a freak’: Lions have highest respect for Bills QB Josh Allen — but can they stop him?

Another paywall article.

Nolan Bianchi
The Detroit News



Allen Park — Winning in the NFL is hard.

It's even harder when there's a 6-foot-5, 237-pound cyborg on the other side touching the ball 60 times per game.


When the Buffalo Bills roll into town Sunday, the Detroit Lions' goal is simple: Slow down quarterback Josh Allen. While that objective is pretty straightforward, it's as difficult as slowing down a semi-truck on an icy highway.

"He's a freak," Lions linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard said. "Josh Allen is a freak."


Allen, a two-time Pro-Bowler and seven-year veteran, is making a strong case for winning his first MVP award. He's the clear-cut odds-on favorite (-450 on BetMGM), leads the NFL in rushing EPA (+49.5) and is second in passing EPA (+98.3). His 23 passing touchdowns rank sixth, and his nine passing touchdowns rank second among quarterbacks.


Allen is averaging 233.3 yards passing — the lowest average since his rookie season — but has so far achieved the second-highest passer rating of his career (101.9) and has significantly cut down on his interceptions; he had 18 picks in 17 games last season and has thrown just five in 13 games this season.

In other words, he has fine-tuned his game to be more conducive toward winning.


"We understand what we're dealing with," Sheppard said. "This is a dual-threat guy. He can beat you from the pocket and outside the pocket. I mean, he brings it all to the table. ... Critical moments, he wants the ball. Those are the kind of guys you want to be around in this profession."

His latest outing might've been his best of the season: Allen threw for 342 yards and three passing touchdowns and had three rushing touchdowns with 82 yards on the ground in a losing effort to the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium, 44-42.


"He's big, he's strong, he's fast, he's pretty explosive and he's competitive. I mean, at the end of the day, he's got all these attributes, physical attributes, but then, it's what he's got inside of him, man," Lions coach Dan Campbell said.

"He's the ultimate competitor. That's what separates him from a lot of guys. He's fearless and it's why those guys ... play the way they do for him because he just won't give up. He's going to do whatever it takes to get the next first down or the touchdown, and when they need him in crunch time, he's going to show up."



Campbell knows what Allen looks like in crunch time all too well. The last time Buffalo visited Detroit, the Bills gunslinger displayed all the goods and ripped the Lions' hearts out on Thanksgiving Day in 2022.

A scrappy Detroit team tied the game, 25-25, with a 51-yard field goal by Michael Badgley. But with 25 seconds left remaining, they left Allen too much time. He dropped back on the opening play of the next series and fired an absolute seed to wide receiver Stefon Diggs for a 36-yard gain that set the Bills and kicker Tyler Bass up for a winning field goal as time expired.


Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown remembers it vividly.

"It was a back-and-forth game all game. We almost came out with the 'W' but they had that long, deep pass to Stefon Diggs over the middle," St. Brown recalled Wednesday. "That was a fun game, but I'm excited to play them again."



Allen has otherworldly arm talent, which is made even more dangerous because of his ability to hurt teams that try to limit his effectiveness as a passer. He's the league's highest-graded non-running back rusher, according to PFF. He's forced 16 missed tackles (third among quarterbacks) and he has 12 runs of 10 yards or more this season with a long of 30.

Lions teams of yesteryear carried a stigma of being unable to stop a running quarterback, but that's been erased over the course of this season. Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson did the most damage on the ground against Detroit, taking 10 carries for 61 yards in Week 12 — a game in which the Colts offense scored just six points.


But outside of that, Detroit has largely been able to contain mobile quarterbacks.

"It's hard to do with him," Lions linebacker Jack Campbell said of making Allen one-dimensional.



"We got our work cut out for us. He just does a phenomenal job of extending plays with not only his legs, but his cannon of an arm is unbelievable too, so this is really just a unique player in this league. It's just gonna come down to doing our job at the highest level and containing him."

One thing is clear about this Lions team and coaching staff: They respect Allen's ability. Whether that'll actually help them to stop the probable MVP is an entirely different topic.

"I know we're going against him, but I want to give him his credit," Sheppard said. "This guy is the real deal and we're going to prepare for him as such. I know AG (defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn) is putting together a great plan ... and we'll be ready for these guys come Sunday."



nbianchi@detroitnews.com

@nolanbianchi

[Meano.Culpa]

Concussion for Nowaske in practice. Depth chart now has him as the starting WLB, but he won't clear protocol in time for Sunday.

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[-Deborah-]

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[whatever_gong82]

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I hope that he'll be available for Chicago, the 49ers, and against Minnesota for the regular season finale.

But most importantly, have him ready for the Playoffs!!

[whatever_gong82]

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2024/12/13/predictions-detroit-lions-vs-buffalo-bills/76866775007/

[whatever_gong82]

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2024/12/14/lions-bills-cbs-show-nfl-today-live-detroit-nate-burleson/76920274007/

[ghandi]

I do think we should be able to run the ball against them. Stopping Allen(obviously) is the biggest issue i see. O/U is 53.5, which seems about right.

think the Lions average about 32.5 PPG and the Bills 30.5....that number isnt out of reach at all...weather is no factor and most people are expecting a shootout