By George Eichorn
Despite a franchise-best 11 game winning streak the Detroit Lions knew they’d have their hands full containing the Buffalo Bills.
And despite quarterback Jared Goff’s 494 passing yards (38 for 59) and 5 touchdown passes, the Lions met their match last Sunday, losing 48-42 to Josh Allen and the Bills. Allen had 362 passing yards (23/34) and 2 touchdowns. On the ground, Allen dazzled with 11 carries for 68 yards and 2 touchdowns.
“He (Allen) poses a huge issue,” said Lions head coach Dan Campbell regarding the Bills’ Allen. “Now we know where we stand against one of the AFC’s best teams.
Today, that wasn’t good enough.”
It was a case of lights out at Ford Field. Buffalo seemingly scored at will on the patchwork defense of Detroit. Devastated by injuries game after game, the Lions lost several more defenders and one key cog on offense. Both offenses combined for 1,080 total yards of offense and 90 points. Buffalo had 559 total yards to Detroit’s 521.
Three key defenders had potential season-ending knee injuries: DT Alim McNeill (knee), CB Carlton Davis (jaw) and DB Khalil Dorsey (ankle). Meanwhile, Detroit’s potent offense lost David Montgomery who went down with a knee injury. It’s unknown how severe Montgomery’s injury is.
Clearly the Lions offense is ahead of their defense at this late stage of the season. With a 12-2 record, Detroit still controls its own destiny as rivals Minnesota and Philadelphia are on their heels. The Lions wasted a career-best effort by Pro Bowl receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. All he did was catch 14 of 18 passes from Goff for 193 yards (13.8 yard average) and 1 touchdown.
It was the Lions usually dominant rushing game that was ineffective. With 15 running plays gaining just 48 yards, the Lions had to rely on Goff’s golden arm to win. With Allen passing and running at will, Detroit was saddled with a crushing loss.“Maybe it’s a good wakeup call for us,” Goff said. “Nice little recalibration for us. Now we get to go on the road.”
The Lions play the Chicago Bears Sunday afternoon December 22 at 1 p.m. in Soldier Field. That’s followed by a Monday Night Football contest December 30 against the Forty-Niners in San Francisco. The final Lions regular-season game is January 4 or 5 against the Vikings; a game that could be for the no. 1 seeding in the NFC. Stay tuned.Reach George Eichorn at [email protected] or @Sandgsports99 on X (formerly Twitter). Order his book:
Detroit’s Sports Broadcasters: On the Air: Eichorn, George B, Introduction Harwell, Ernie.
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