The Detroit Lions don't have any time to catch their breath after escaping with an overtime victory over the New Orleans Saints in Week 1. Their battle with the Buffalo Bills in Week 2 comes on Thursday Night Football, giving Dan Campbell's squad just about four days to recover, plan, and practice for one of their biggest tests of the season.
All eyes will be on this matchup to see which team is ready to truly contend for a championship. The game is expected to be a shootout with two high-powered offenses and two vulnerable defenses.
But if the Lions can walk an admittedly narrow path, they can put this game away early, reestablishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with.
Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs must be the focal point against Bills
If you thought that Gibbs was impressive last weekend, just wait until you see what he does on Thursday night. The Bills' run defense is one of the league's worst and allowed the second-most EPA per rush attempt in 2025.
Gibbs had a career-high 29 rushing attempts in Week 1, albeit in an overtime game. The Lions can't expect him to maintain that workload throughout the season, but he'll need to keep it up in Week 2.
Buffalo's defensive line is built mostly out of gap-shooters rather than stout run-stuffers. The Bills will take chances up front in an attempt to create negative plays. Those risks should open up space for Gibbs to pick up big gains.
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When the Lions are on offense, Gibbs will be the most talented player on the field. That needs to be blatantly obvious if Detroit is going to win this game.
Lions' offensive line can control the pace of the game
As elite as Gibbs is, he needs his offensive line to give him a runway. Last season, he ranked 32nd among 49 qualifying running backs in yards after contact per attempt. When the offensive line gives him a lane, he can take any carry to the house, but he needs that space to be at his best.
Goff's stats when kept clean and when under pressure in 2025 (per PFF) tell a clear story. He's one of the best quarterbacks in the league when he can play point guard from the pocket. When he's forced off schedule, he tends to struggle.
Kept Clean | Under Pressure | |
|---|---|---|
Completion Percentage | 75.9% | 50.8% |
TD:INT | 32:5 | 2:3 |
Passer Rating | 121.7 | 70.6 |
Yards Per Attempt | 8.3 | 7 |
It's not going to be easy to keep the QB clean against the Bills. Buffalo edge rusher Greg Rousseau produced seven pressures last week, ranking inside the league's top five. He'll consistently line up against rookie right tackle Blake Miller, who had a solid debut against the Saints but didn't face a test as difficult as Rousseau will provide.
If Miller can limit Rousseau's impact enough to avoid negative plays, and the offensive line can create easy gains in the running game, the Lions will be able to maintain control of the game.
Lions have to limit Josh Allen's deep throws
Allen led the NFL with seven passing attempts of 20 or more yards in Week 1. His tight-window throw to receiver DJ Moore down the sideline was one of the most important plays in Buffalo's win over the Houston Texans. The former MVP has an affinity for deep shots, throwing at least 70 passes 20+ yards down the field in five of his last six seasons.
He could feast against a Lions defense that leans heavily on man coverage despite its limited cornerback room. In Week 1, Detroit played more Cover 0 than any other team in the league at 15.9%. No other team was over 10%.
The Bills still don't have a receiver who thrives against man coverage. As dynamic as Moore can be, Lions fans know that he struggles against man coverage, especially when pressed.
Still, the slightest mistake in man coverage gives Allen an opportunity to make a game-changing deep throw. Cornerbacks Rock Ya-Sin and D.J. Reed will need to be at their best in this one, keeping a lid on Buffalo's passing game.
A bit of luck can go a long way toward a Lions win
A quarterback as superhero-esque as Allen is bound to take a few risks throughout the game. He'll put the ball in harm's way to give his pass-catchers a chance to make explosive plays. That gunslinger mentality can create big gains, but it can also end in turnovers. Allen leads the NFL with 73 interceptions thrown since 2020, largely because of those risks.
If Detroit's defenders are prepared enough to put themselves in favorable positions on those erratic Allen plays, they can put their thumb on the scales on Thursday night.
As Edna Mode said in The Incredibles, "Luck favors the prepared."
The Lions must be ready to jump on the opportunities that Allen's volatility presents. Those 50/50 balls will sway the outcome of this game.
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