The Detroit Lions are 1-1 after losing to the Buffalo Bills in Week 2.
And, they didn't just lose honorably. They gave up 41 points, five total touchdowns to Josh Allen (two rushing), and total of 451 yards on offense. They got beat, bad.
There are very little positives to pull from this game, and none on defense. If there's one thing this game showed Lions fans headed into a Week 3 matchup against former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, it's that their offense can still turn things up a few notches when necessary. Their defense absolutely cannot.
3 winners (and 5 losers) from Lions' humiliating loss to Bills
Winner: The Jared Goff-Amon-Ra St. Brown connection
Peanut butter and jelly. Fall and pumpkin spice. Cats and laser pointers.
And, Goff to St. Brown for a positive gain or a touchdown.
These are classic combinations that must not be messed with, and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing remembered that to be the case in the second half of this game. St. Brown finished up with 142 receiving yards and two touchdowns from Goff after a very quiet Week 1 with one another, reminding fans of just how potent they still are as a duo.
At least the Lions had this going for them in this game, and it's nice that they're beginning to rebuild their chemistry ahead of an "easier" streak of games.
Winner: The future Lions
Now, I know what you're thinking - Candace, what do you mean by future Lions, and can you also give me next week's winning lottery numbers?
James Palmer of NFL on Prime reported after this loss that the Lions feel optimistic about one of Brian Branch or Kerby Joseph being back sooner rather than later as they're currently on the physically unable to perform list. That helps the Lions' secondary out a ton, and allows for some of their more versatile DBs to work more at cornerback than at safety.
Of course, this still means we're getting some plug-and-play solutions at cornerback once either of these safeties are back. But, at least the team will have starting defense in the fold beyond just D.J. Reed.
READ MORE: Jahmyr Gibbs and Aidan Hutchinson lose out on Player of the Week honors
Loser: The entire Lions defense
As mentioned, there was no way I could put anyone from the Lions' defense on the winners list from this game. Top to bottom, from the front line to their secondary, the unit could not stop a nosebleed, let alone the spamming of Josh Allen rolling to his right for multiple rushing yards.
Aidan Hutchinson looked absolutely gassed throughout this game as he battled against a really great Buffalo O-line, and he wasn't getting much help from Detroit's linebacker room in his efforts to slow Allen down. On top of that, even he couldn't stop James Cook, who went off for 135 rushing yards and touchdown.
They've now given up 730 yards and 71 points since the first half of their Saints game in Week 1.
Their secondary, as we already know, is and looked shaky. I'm scared to think of what the damage would've been had D.J. Moore been healthy for the entire contest. Instead, the Bills had to settle for feeding their very talented TE duo of Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox, as well as Keon Coleman. The horror!
It's a bit of a chicken and egg situation for the Lions' defense right now - is it Kelvin Sheppard's fault that they can't seem to get a leg-up on any competition to begin the season, or is it Brad Holmes' fault for still not giving him a very good unit to work with?
Loser: Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
Detroit desperately needs help in their secondary, and you'd think they'd want to take a look at their 2024 pick to see if he could offer them some reprieve.
Instead, he's been inactive for the first two weeks of the season as Detroit remains shorthanded at the position. That has to say something about either his work in practice, or his health, or his fit with the team. Either way, it feels like he's being knocked for something by this Lions staff, which is saying a lot considering their biggest need is his literal position.
Loser: The Lions defenders you thought you could count on
This category includes Jack Campbell, Hutchinson, Alim McNeill, and Tyleik Williams. All four - save for perhaps Hutchinson, who was exerting all of his power in this contest and at least got a sack - were completely non-impactful in this game. They couldn't stop the run, were beat relentlessly by the Bills' offensive linemen, and were a part of the reason why Allen was able to operate so much on the ground.
This is a very top-heavy team, but when even those players aren't performing, you really have something to worry about in relation to your entire defense's ability to make plays or get key stops. We saw that exact issue in Week 2.
Loser: Brad Holmes
Holmes has once again cooked up a roster made up of veteran minimum contract caliber players to fit with their potentially overpaid defenders sprinkled throughout. That is not a recipe for success - that's a recipe for disaster.
It'd be one thing had Holmes drafted well enough following 2023 to actually surround the rest of the team with cheap, young, and good talent. Instead, he completely whiffed in 2024, and landed possibly only two servicable starters in 2025 - Tate Ratledge and Tyleik Williams. Otherwise, a goose egg.
With free agents or the trade market, he's been completely dull. Za'Darius Smith might've been the most exciting trade we've seen the Lions make in this winning era, and they didn't even bother retaining him. It just feels like, at every turn, Holmes has opted for the cheaper, worse option. It's beginning to show with the results that this defense is putting out on the field.
I'm not saying he has to go out and make a big splash trade after this loss - in fact, I would understand if they wanted to wait and see how the team looked with at least Branch back on the field. But, they should seriously consider getting more aggressive this season if there are remaining, glaring holes and the Lions find themselves in a fight to win the division - or, at least, to make the Wild Card game.
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