Who knew being down three starting offensive linemen, and a few All-Pro safeties, and another legitimate starting cornerback, would lead to a blowout on the road amongst a loud Buffalo Bills crowd?
Not the Detroit Lions, it seems.
Their defense was an obvious sore point from this loss, with their defensive line struggling to contain the run and their secondary unable to contain Josh Allen's never-ending magic. No one makes off-balance, falling-out-of-bounds plays look more trustworthy than Allen. And, the Lions' defense played right into that trap.
Was this a wake-up call loss for Detroit? It's unlikely, as they're still without their starting safeties and have a much easier schedule, for the most part, than the kind of competition they faced in this game. That doesn't mean they'll look all that improved against "weaker" competition in coming weeks, and it doesn't mean they should become complacent as it pertains to their obvious weaknesses on defense.
8 takeaways from Lions' terrible loss to Bills in Week 2
1. Jahmyr Gibbs cannot do it all
As much as I'd love to see Gibbs manage to break off 150+ rushing yards and a few touchdowns per game, he simply can't be expected to run up the teams' numbers on offense every single game. Detroit came into this game, on the road, on a short week, and following an overtime game. And yet, they opted to try and force the ball down the Bills' throats despite it being ineffective following the first quarter.
Couple that with the Lions' offensive line have three bench players start, and the Bills' defensive coordinator Jim Leonard completely out-gaming both Kelvin Sheppard and Drew Petzing in this one, and it was just a recipe for absolutely zero work from Gibbs as the game winded down.
2. Yes, it's time to worry about the Lions' secondary
All I heard after Week 1's very narrow victory was that panicking about the Lions' secondary was foolish. It was only one game. They were, and still are, unhealthy.
And, once again in their defense from myself, they were playing Josh Allen. In his first home game at the new Highmark Stadium, in front of a crowd desperate for a win. Sure, sure, sure. But, to be as completely ineffective as they were in this game against the run and the pass, in addition to the numerous penalties that Rock Ya-Sin and D.J. Reed, was painful to watch.
They just had nothing by way of either proper coverage, or challenges to the Lions' tight ends, or to Keon Coleman in the fourth quarter as the Bills carved their way to a game-clinching touchdown. You can only blame the safety situation so much.
3. At least Detroit drafted Blake Miller
Imagining a world where the Lions hadn't taken a tackle in the first round, let alone a rookie like Miller who's unbelievably steady, makes me shudder. Could you even think of a world where the Lions were starting Larry Borom - who drew penalty after penalty to kill multiple Detroit drives - and expecting to be competitive this season?
Thankfully, Miller should be good to go in Week 3, but the Lions' offensive line remains a work in progress with very little reliable depth behind their key starters.
4. Detroit needs to make a move for a cornerback
Joey Porter Jr. is the obviously popular name to mention on the trade market for the Lions, but truly, they need to be targeting anyone that could be available, even if it's for a first round pick.
Rock Ya-Sin is not a starting cornerback for a contending team - full stop. D.J. Reed is slowing down, and isn't looking as impactful as he once did when he first debuted for Detroit in 2025, or even from his New York Jets days. The team clearly doesn't trust Ennis Rakestraw Jr. to step in given his numerous inactives to begin the year.
So, the trade market - or riding it out with their current unit - is all that's left for them to peruse. They are risking another step back by not addressing this hole, and quickly.
5. Jack Campbell's two-game "meh" streak
We all came into this season expecting Campbell to excel this season as a team captain for the first time, and after getting a payday this offseason. Instead, in his first two games for the Lions, he's struggled against the run and hasn't been as effective in the pass rush as he was last season.
It feels like a blip, and you trust that the Lions' top linebacker will get back into a rhythm, but it does stink to not have a typically reliable defender like Campbell be...well, reliable.
READ MORE: Jahmyr Gibbs and Aidan Hutchinson lose out on Player of the Week honors
6. No, this wasn't a typical "Goff is bad outdoors" game
I saw a few takes about Goff struggling in his first game that had some sort of "weather" involved.
If your takeaway from this game is that Goff was the problem, that's interesting. Over 300 passing yards and four passing touchdowns isn't exactly bad! His struggles, as anyone would likely say who actually watched the game, could be attributed to some really poor pass protection in the first half, and the lack of a consistent run game against a really strong Bills defensive front.
Lions fans should be really encouraged by his showing, and the Lions' showing, in the second half of this game. No moral victories, to be sure, but it's something to build on.
7. Kelvin Sheppard cannot escape criticism
Sheppard, like former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, loves to play man coverage with his defensive backs.
The problem is, when that begins to get picked apart by a quarterback like Allen, you'd expect an adjustment - maybe you see Sheppard deploying more zone coverage, instead.
To be honest, it doesn't even feel like that'd help much with this Lions roster. They're so unbelievably thin in their secondary that it feels hard to imagine a world where any scheme that Sheppard works up could reliably last for an entire game. Still, you ideally want to see more out of the second-year defensive coordinator, and it just seems like he's stuck in his ways.
8. Brad Holmes, also, cannot escape criticism
A part of the problem for Sheppard is that Holmes did not bring in higher-level DB talent this offseason. Detroit came into the year still relying on a secondary that's very similar to what they were deploying last season, with very little effort to address the holes that still existed on the roster at CB, specifically.
He's on the hot seat if the Lions don't improve following this loss. His moves, both in the draft in recent years and in free agency, have left the Lions in a very tough spot.
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