You didn't think the Detroit Lions were headed into a short week without some bruises, right?
As the Lions head east to face off with the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium in Week 2, a few key injuries have already impacted this game: both right tackle Blake Miller (knee) and left guard Christian Mahogany (hip) have been ruled out for this game, while cornerback D.J. Reed is quesitonable (foot).
That's three starters - two on the Lions' offensive line - that are down ahead of their primetime clash with their fellow Lake Erie bros. Not ideal for a team looking to fuel their offense on the ground through Jahmyr Gibbs.
That's just one of a few storylines worth monitoring ahead of this game, set to kick off on Thursday night.
- How to watch Detroit Lions at Buffalo Bills in Week 2
- Detroit Lions injury report for Week 2
- Buffalo Bills injury report for Week 2
- Biggest Detroit Lions storylines headed into Week 2
How to watch Detroit Lions at Buffalo Bills in Week 2
Where: Highmark Stadium
When: Thursday, September 17, 8:15pm EST
TV/Streaming: Prime Video
Announcers: Al Michaels (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (game analyst), Kaylee Hartung (sideline reporter)
This game is part of Prime's TNF deal with the NFL, so you'll need to have an account with the streamer to watch this game. They offer free trials, but if you're like me - forgetful - make sure to set a reminder for yourself to cancel that trial and subsequent, expensive subscription before they charge you.
Detroit Lions injury report for Week 2
Player | Injury | Designation |
|---|---|---|
T Blake Miller | Knee | OUT |
G Christian Mahogany | Hip | OUT |
CB D.J. Reed | Foot | Questionable |
Buffalo Bills injury report for Week 2
Player | Injury | Designation |
|---|---|---|
RB Ty Johnson | Hamstring | Questionable |
DL T.J. Sanders | Knee/Illness | Questionable |
S Cole Bishop | Knee/Groin | Questionable |
Biggest Detroit Lions storylines headed into Week 2
Injuries already impacting Lions' offensive line
Injuries are already an issue for the Lions, who already have Mahogany and Miller listed as out for this game. That's a blow to an offensive line that actually looked fairly decent against tough competition in Week 1. They only allowed one sack on Jared Goff against the New Orleans Saints, and helped Jahmyr Gibbs find enough room to rush for 156 yards on Sunday.
Without Miller or Mahogany, the team is likely to throw Ben Bartch and Larry Borom into the starting lineup, with Miles Frazier acting as a backup at both positions. That's not a great position for the Lions to be in so early in the year, and against competition like the Bills. But, it's just the reality of facing down a short week as soon as the season kicks off.
Sitting Miller feels more precautionary than anything, especially after the rookie told reporters this week that he'd be doing everything in his power to be ready for Thursday. That doesn't sound like someone seriously injured. Mahogany, on the other hand, never sounded like a possibility for the Lions in Week 2.
2024 rematch getting a re-do?
When these two teams met in 2024, it was an absolute shootout - they combined to score 90 points, in what some felt could be a preview for that year's Super Bowl matchup. Of course, the Lions were unable to overcome a plethora of key injuries on both sides of the ball headed into the postseason, while Buffalo couldn't take down a familiar foe in the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship.
This season, the two teams are in similar boats - both with elite playmaking, some star power here and there on defense, and with a ton of motivation to finally get over the hump to reach the Super Bowl in their respective windows.
Detroit just scored 31 points on a really good Saints defense in Week 1, while Buffalo managed to post 36 points on Houston on the road. We could be in for a similarly offense-drive contest in this game, but likely not on the same scale we witnessed these two teams performing at in 2024. A short week will do that to you.
Battle of Gibbs vs. Cook
While the Lions have an obvious juggernaut on offense in Gibbs, the Bills are looking to rely on their own star running back, James Cook, to help Allen out against the Lions' pass rush. A successful game from Cook could throw the Lions into quite the fight, as it'd mean their Week 1 successes against the Saints' run game weren't replicable against a better Bills offensive line.
Gibbs will be another test for Buffalo's struggling run defense as they seek to improve under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard. They allowed David Montgomery to go for three touchdowns in their Week 1 game against the Texans, and Houston rushed for a total of 124 yards as a team.
Gibbs just rushed for 156 all by his lonesome against the Saints' defensive line.
A lot of the math behind stopping either running back will likely come down to linebacker play, which is where we give the nod to the Lions. They have Jack Campbell ready and able to kill whatever momentum Buffalo tries to build in the open field, while Gibbs can likely take better advantage of the Bills' linebacker room.
Jameson Williams' drops
We obviously don't have a crystal ball. I do have some tarot cards that might help on this front, though, and I've consulted them to determine that had Jameson Williams not dropped a 40-yard bomb laid right in his hands from Goff, the Lions would've won their game against the Saints in regulation and not in overtime.
Williams' three drops on the day were stark, and gave fans quite the whiplash considering all the hype he'd been getting out of training camp headed into the regular season. Williams even said this offseason that drops are what he wanted to improve on in 2026 - ideally, that meant he wanted to limit them, not increase them.
Of course, he didn't play in the preseason, and the entire Lions offense is getting used to their third different offensive coordinator in as many years. We'll give Williams some slack for a poor Week 1 performance, just as Goff is. And, if there's an opportunity to bounce back against any team, it's against the Bills - they are lacking explosive playmaking in their secondary, as well.
Bounce back from secondary
The Saints and Tyler Shough took advantage of two key weaknesses in the Lions' secondary in Week 1: their lack of speed and a mismatch between their personnel and Kelvin Sheppard's schemes. Those two factors combined to allow him to exploit them for over 300 passing yards and three touchdowns in the second half of the game.
And, that's just Shough. Imagine what Allen will see with this Lions secondary, which might be without Reed due to that foot injury.
It doesn't look good for Detroit's pass defense as they look to contain Allen, D.J. Moore, Josh Palmer, Khalil Shakir, and Dalton Kincaid in this contest. Moore and Kincaid figure to be especially potent as they can specifically help exploit the Lions' lack of a starting safety to keep up with Kincaid, or a healthy, starting outside corner.
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