The Detroit Lions are in serious trouble when they go to Buffalo to face the Bills Thursday night. Despite having a talented offensive team and the belief that they could finally make good on their championship potential, this team appears to be in trouble this season.
The Lions had built a 21-0 lead at home against a seemingly ordinary New Orleans Saints team. The Lions had been the beneficiary of a shocking replay rule that took a defensive touchdown off the scoreboard for the visitors. Despite those breaks, the Lions were forced to go to overtime before they held on for a 31-30 triumph.
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough riddled the Lions secondary for 410 yards and 3 touchd0wns â all in the second half â and there was no stopping top wide receiver Chris Olave. The outstanding receiver ran through the Lions defense without any encumbrances and caught 10 passes for 182 yards.
Lions struggle badly in second half
The Lions defense started strong and was able to pressure Shough in the first half, but that unit had no steam in the second half. The Saints were in a position to win the game if they had been successful on a 2-point conversion on the game's final play, but Shough's pass to wideout Bryce Lance fell incomplete in the corner of the end zone.
The belief before the game was that the Lions may have been in the best position of any of the NFC North teams to win the division because a team that had Jared Goff at quarterback, Jahmyr Gibbs at running back and Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams at wide receiver and a fourth-place schedule. However, the lack of finishing ability means that the Lions need to be re-evaluated.
The belief is that the team that was so dominant in the 2024 regular season is now a shell of what it once was.
Punishing game against the Bills is a potential disaster
If the Lions needed a major break to beat the Saints at home, how in the world is this team going to avoid a painful defeat on the road against a rejuvenated Bills team that is playing its first home game in their new stadium?
It's easy to underestimate Shough and the Saints. That better not happen against Josh Allen and the Bills. The Buffalo quarterback threw for 2 touchdowns and ran for 2 more. His ability to make plays late in the fourth quarter has been part of his DNA throughout his 9-year NFL career.
He was thrilled that his late heroics against the Houston Texans â he threw the go-ahead 34-yard TD pass to Josh Palmer with 1:36 remaining â stood up as the game-winning TD pass in a 36-31 victory. When he studies films of Detroit's defense this week, his jaw will drop because he will see a vulnerable secondary.
The Lions certainly have an All-Pro pass rusher in Aidan Hutchinson â 2.0 sacks in the opener â and he is cause for concern. However, if the Bills can keep him from wrecking the game plan, Allen should have a huge night.
The Lions hope that Goff will be in a position to trade big plays with him, but that seems too much to expect.
There is a growing belief that the Lions had their chance 2 years ago, but that opportunity appears to have slipped through their grasp. The 2026 season is likely to be a huge disappointment.