3 winners and 3 losers from Detroit Lions Week 15 loss to the Buffalo Bills

It was going to happen at some point, and Sunday was the day. The Detroit Lions saw their 11-game winning streak end as they dropped their second game of the season, 48-42 to the Buffalo Bills. A continually injury-riddled defense simply had no answers for quarterback Josh Allen, as the MVP candidate threw for 362 yards, ran for 68 and had four total touchdowns.

The Lions' offense was game though, topping 500 total yards and scoring 42 points. It just wasn't quite enough in the end.

Without further ado, here are our biggest winners and losers for the Lions from their Week 15 loss.

3 winners, 3 losers from Lions' Week 15 loss to the Bills

Winner: Jared Goff

Goff was outstanding on Sunday, going 38-for-59 for 494 yards and five touchdowns. He routinely made plays on the move, even running for a first down once. Most days, a performance like that is a winning performance.

As such, Goff became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 400 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions in a loss.

Loser: Offensive Line

Not that the Lions were in position to run the ball much on Sunday, but they averaged just 3.2 yards per carry (15 carries for 48 yards) as Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combined to average 2.7 yards per carry (13 carries for 35 yards).

As mentioned previously, Goff was under pressure quite a bit (three sacks, hit 10 times). Next Gen Stats credited Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver with 10 pressures on Sunday (the most in a game by a defensive tackle this season), with seven coming against Lions' left guard Graham Glasgow. Center Frank Ragnow also had a rough day.

Winner: Jahmyr Gibbs

With David Montgomery rendered a non-entity by the margin the Lions faced (he also played through an injury), Sunday became a "Gibbs game." He didn't get a whole lot going as a runner (as noted), but he did score a rushing touchdown among his eight carries for 31 yards while adding five receptions for 83 yards and another score.

Loser: Defensive Line

Josh Allen is a unique challenge, but the Lions defensive line got nothing done against him on Sunday with many no-shows (Za'Darius Smith is worth mentioning). Bills running back James Cook topped 100 yards on the ground with two touchdowns, and Buffalo on the whole averaged 5.8 yards per carry. Alim McNeill's injury exit wasn't ideal or helpful, but it ultimately it made little difference.

Winner: Amon-Ra St. Brown

St. Brown did have a lost fumble that looks important in the hindsight of a six-point loss, but there was some question on if he had full control of the ball. Otherwise, the "Sun God" was a stud on Sunday, setting career-highs for catches (14) and yards (193) with his 10th touchdown of the season.

Loser: Linebackers

Injuries catching up to the Lions on the defensive side of the ball was no more evident on Sunday than in the play of new pieces of the linebacking corps. Kwon Alexander was beaten by Bills running back Ty Johnson on a 33-yard completion on the second offensive play of the game for Buffalo. He also had a roughing the passer penalty on Allen as he unleashed a 64-yard completion to Keon Coleman. Ezekiel Turner was also abused by Johnson on a 24-yard completion a few plays later. Credit to the Bills, and offensive coordinator Joe Brady, for finding a matchup weakness to exploit in the Lions' defense and getting it done. It feels like they could have done it more.