Ahead of Bills-Lions on Thursday, I caught up with Rich Silva, Lions reporter for The Detroit News. You can follow him on social media at @rich_silva18.
1. What has been the biggest change with the Lions since the Bills last played Detroit, and are they a better or worse team now?
Starting with the second part of your question, I’d say the Lions are worse off now than they were in 2024, when they marched to 15 wins despite having to deal with some unbelievable attrition on defense.
The offense was in a much better place when Ben Johnson was calling it — no surprise — and a number of veteran contributors have walked out the door.
It was certainly time for some of those players to move on, but a number of them are still providing value elsewhere.
2. From watching Buffalo, what do you think is the Bills’ biggest weakness that Detroit can exploit Thursday?
This is a great question because, frankly, I don’t see many holes on Buffalo’s roster. At first, I wanted to say the lack of true difference-makers at receiver, but D.J. Moore was great in Week 1, as was Dalton Kincaid.
I couldn’t believe how explosive the Bills were against the Houston Texans. The Lions had to play 86 snaps on defense versus the New Orleans Saints in the opener, so some of these numbers are inflated, but they allowed six passes of at least 20 yards and two rushes of at least 10, and that’s not including a 21-yard pass interference in the end zone.
3. How confident are Lions fans in Detroit’s defense being able to slow down Josh Allen for four quarters?
I wouldn’t say fans are confident, not after the defense allowed 30 points in the second half against the Saints.
Josh Allen has been ridiculous in his last two meetings with the Lions, completing 61.8% of his passes for 615 yards, four touchdowns and an interception, and he’s added 146 yards and three scores as a runner.
Both of those performances came against a defense being coordinated by Aaron Glenn. This will be Kelvin Sheppard’s first opportunity to prove what he can do versus Allen.
4. Which Lions player has been playing especially well lately but probably isn’t getting enough attention outside Detroit?
Not the biggest sample size, but Juice Scruggs played well in Week 1. He’s filling in at center for Cade Mays, who injured his wrist during training camp and likely won’t be back until October.
Scruggs, who was acquired in the trade that sent Montgomery to Houston, led the Lions with an overall offensive grade from Pro Football Focus of 77.5 against the Saints. He allowed only one pressure, according to PFF, and helped the Lions average 5.0 yards per rush.
5. If Detroit wins Thursday, what do you think the Lions will have done successfully, and if Buffalo wins, where do you think things will have gone wrong for Detroit?
To me, it’s about the Lions limiting explosive plays defensively and sustaining drives on offense. Keeping Allen off the field might be their best defense.
For the Bills, they should find success if their defensive line, which Dan Campbell was complimentary of, slows Detroit’s down-to-down efficiency. The Lions had a rushing success rate of 51.5% in Week 1, according to Next Gen Stats. They leaned heavily on Jahmyr Gibbs, who had a career-high 29 carries.
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