DETROIT – On a day when the defense allowed 42 points, 30 first downs and 521 yards of offense to the Detroit Lions, Sean McDermott couldn’t have been more proud of the Buffalo Bills’ defense than he was Sunday night at Ford Field. It might not have happened.
“Well, I feel good, I feel good,” McDermott said after catching his breath after the Bills’ 48-42 win over the Lions. It was a game that would normally deprive any proud defensive coach of 72 hours of sleep. A few hours, but not in this case.
“You have to celebrate wins in this league,” McDermott continued. “I mean, it’s hard to win, it’s hard to win here. This team… hasn’t lost anything since the second week of the season. We came off a (disappointing) game the week before and had a snow day. I was late coming home, I mean, I’m very grateful, Lord.”
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We all knew the defense would likely take a backseat in a game featuring the NFL’s top two offenses, but they totaled 1,080 yards and 90 points, the highest in a single game in the NFL this season. But beyond the great offense, another important aspect of the development was that both defenses were battered with injuries and never really had a chance.
In the end, McDermott’s defense found a way to allow six fewer points, and the result was a pretty impressive win that not only ended the Lions’ winning streak at 11, but also beat Buffalo to 11-3. He improved and won a complete victory. In the battle for the second seed in the AFC, they were ahead of the Steelers, who lost to the Eagles 27-13.
Of course, McDermott could smile because while the defense was getting watered down, Josh Allen threw for 362 yards, ran for 68 yards and ran for 4 more touchdowns for 559 yards. Because their lead made them even more deadly against Detroit’s overwhelming group. .
“I’m honored to be his left tackle,” Dion Dawkins said.
Here’s how I graded the Bills.
Pass Offense: A+
There are no better words to describe Allen’s brilliance. He was now an unstoppable superhuman force, and the way he cut through the Lions was heart-melting. He completed 23 of 34 for 362 yards and completed seven passes of at least 20 yards to five different targets, some of which came after extending plays beyond seven and eight seconds.
The Bills had the ball for 11 possessions, not counting Neal in the final half, and had six touchdowns and two field goals, and should have had one more touchdown or at least a field goal at the end of the first half. The only time they failed to score during their attempts was on one punt, which ended their last possession of the first half as the clock hit a zero out of FG range.
RB Ty Johnson was the big play man catching five passes for 114 yards, but at one point it looked like everyone made great plays in the passing game. Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox, Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir (3-yard shovel pass TD catch) all played important roles and made big catches. Incredibly, Amari Cooper not only failed to catch a pass, he wasn’t even targeted. In all this fuss, this is a pretty big red flag. How was that possible?
David Edwards was nailed with two holding penalties in the fourth quarter, including a nullified TD pass, but the line didn’t allow a sack against an onslaught of defense.
Run offense: A+
James Cook bounced back from last week’s bizarre 20-yard performance to start the third quarter with 105 yards and two TDs, including a spectacular tackle-breaking 41-yarder. And of course, Allen was a beast once again, driving daggers into the Lions’ hearts with his insane dash scrambles and designed runs.
The Bills gained 197 yards, second only to their 220 against the 49ers, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. This was important. Unlike the Lions, the Bills were able to stay two-dimensional, converting 11 of 28 first downs. It came via the ground.
Pass Defense: D-
In a game where the Lions had to pass almost every play in the second half, you don’t factor in the fact that the Bills were missing three starters in the secondary and were playing the NFL’s top-scoring offense, which gives the Bills an F. It cannot be attached. . Of course they were going for the pinball in the passing game, but Jared Goff was 38-of-59 for 494 yards and 5 TDs, and Amon-Ra St. Brown had 14 catches for 193 yards.
Yes, that would drop Buffalo’s defensive rankings significantly, but McDermott doesn’t care about that. It was impressive to survive the game under those conditions and leave town with a W.
Do you think Ed Oliver has heard some of the criticism he’s been receiving for his lackluster performance in 2024? Oliver was a force in this game, creating 10 QB pressures on Goff and It was his second sack of the season. This was the most of any NFL DT this season. Greg Rousseau and Christian Benford were also fired.
It is true that the scope of application is strict, but extenuating circumstances are still required. In other words, they won the game by starting Kaia Elam, Cam Lewis, and rookie Cole Bishop.
Run defense: A
The Lions entered the game with the NFL’s fourth-best rushing attack at 151 yards per game, but nothing worked against Buffalo’s defense, which started in the 19th with run defense. Sometimes you can’t explain what happens in an NFL game.
Jahmil Gibbs, who already has over 1,000 yards, had just 31 yards on eight attempts, and David Montgomery was completely silent with just four yards on five carries. Despite Goff’s scramble, the Lions finished with 48 rushing yards, the first time this season they were held to fewer than 111 yards.
Against the Lions’ top-rated offensive line, the Bills defensive line could hold up inside with Oliver, Daquan Jones and the other DTs, while Terrell Bernard and Taron Johnson could slice in and make tackles. , eventually emerged as Bernard scored 10 points. Johnson had eight, most of which came from the passing game.
One of the keys was Buffalo strayed from the base nickel at times and had three LBs in the game, but with Dorian Williams and then Matt Milano out with injuries, that has to stop. did.
Special teams: A-
Tyler Bass might drive you crazy, right? The reason for this negative result was that he somehow missed a 24-yard chip shot late in the first half, which at the time felt like it could be a major turning point in the game. However, he is also a member of the overall A team. That’s because in the fourth quarter, with the game still largely undecided, he kept the Bills in control with kicks from 50 and 41 yards. And on the kickoff, he went a perfect 9-for-9 on touchbacks.
Punter Sam Martin only had one chance and it was a great shot for 51 yards on fourth down in the third quarter.
Brandon Codrington made a nice 17-yard punt return early in the first quarter, allowing the Bills to avoid a poor starting position on their drive.
And, of course, there was Buffalo’s effort on Detroit’s two onside kicks. Mack Hollins defended the first field and raced 38 yards to the 5 to set up a TD and give the Bills a 45-28 lead. Then, with 12 seconds left, Taron Johnson managed to survive a second awkward scrum, saving the Bills from having to field perhaps two Hail Marys, which, as we all know, is a scary proposition for the Bills. be.
Coaching:A
Look, today was a tough day for the defense, there’s no denying that. But considering the Bills only had one full practice that week, were down three starters in the secondary, and were missing Milano and Williams for extended periods of time in games, it’s hard to imagine what could have happened. I don’t know if you can criticize Bobby Babich. Add to that the script of the game, with Detroit trailing by double digits for almost the entire game, and it was the perfect recipe for how Goff put up such huge numbers.
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady was outstanding. What a great game plan this was, and its versatility, including getting Ty Johnson, among others, involved in such an impactful pass play definitely caught the Lions off guard. It might have been the best game of the year, as Brady combined the run and pass perfectly, and the Bills averaged 8.2 yards per play, especially considering the lack of practice time.
And McDermott also needs to get credit. You didn’t see him calling for an onside kick in a 10-point game with 12 minutes left, right? No, Dan Campbell is fun and exciting, but that was just stupid on every level. McDermott prepared the Bills to play in a competitive environment against what many believe to be the best team in the NFL, and it was based on record, at least until they lost this game.
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for 40 years, including 35 years as D&C’s full-time beat writer, and has written numerous books about the team’s history. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com and followed at X @salmaiorana and Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social. Sign up for the Bills Blast newsletter here: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
