Game Day: How to watch and 3 things to watch for Lions vs. Bills
● When: Sunday, Dec. 15, 4:25 p.m.
● Where: Ford Field, Detroit
● How to watch: CBS (Jim Nantz/Tony Romo/Tracy Wolfson)
● How to listen: 97.1-FM The Ticket in Metro Detroit or any number of network affiliates around the state.
● Line: Lions -2.5
● Injury report: Detroit is getting plenty of reinforcements this week with Taylor Decker, Levi Onwuzurike, DJ Reader and Josh Paschal set to return to action. Alim McNeill is also off the injury report, clearing protocol after missing the second half of last week’s game against Green Bay with a concussion.
The only player the Lions have ruled out is linebacker Trevor Nowaske (concussion).
● Officiating assignment: Adrian Hill’s crew. This will be the ninth Lions’ game he’s worked since being promoted to referee in 2019. They are 3-5 in the previous eight, but have won three straight, including this year’s season opener against the Rams.
● Last meeting: The Bills came to town a couple of Thanksgivings ago, taking part in a thrilling back-and-forth affair. The Lions tied the game with 23 seconds remaining, but the visitors quickly worked into range for a 45-yard, game-winning field goal.
Coverage from the week
● Three and Out: A defense defying odds, the value of belief, and a comeback's crescendo ($)
● Film review: Exploring formations, alignments and execution of defenders in new or expanded roles ($)
● Earning rave reviews from teammates, Lions planning to give Muti another shot to win a job in 2025 ($)
● Campbell praises Arnold, new d-linemen and Lions dominating Pro Bowl voting
● Resetting Detroit Lions' playoff picture heading into final four games of the 2024 season
● Some quick thoughts on Detroit Lions' potential to play internationally in 2025 ($)
● DFN Mailbag, Part I: Future of Lions' newcomers, stopping Allen and ranking pizzas
Three things worth watching
● Bills quarterback Josh Allen is great and worthy of his MVP-frontrunner status, but still susceptible to an off day at the office. Remember, he was held to a 9-for-30 outing against the Texans earlier this year. And he wasn’t much better against the Ravens a week earlier, completing 16-of-29 for 180 yards, eating three sacks, and losing a fumble in that 25-point loss.
Last month, against the Colts, he completed under 60% of his passes and tossed two interceptions, in the middle of a streak of four straight games with at least one pick.
Yes, Allen is getting the better of opponents most weeks, but there’s a blueprint to slow him down, and it starts with keeping him stitched into his pocket. That means maintaining discipline with rush lanes up front — an area where the Lions have been solid this season — and keeping an extra set of eyes trained on the backfield in the second level as frequently as possible. That shouldn’t disrupt what the Lions like to do schematically, particularly how they use safety Brian Branch as an underneath robber within their heavy Cover-1 usage.
In addition to limiting Allen's scrambling opportunities, the Lions need to be at the top of their game with tackling. Allen loves throwing underneath and the Bills rank second in the NFL in average yards gained after the catch.
● Keep an eye on Bills edge rusher Greg Rousseau, who does not get the credit he deserves given how well he affects the pocket. It’s not complicated to understand why when you look at the former first-rounder's sack totals. He has a respectable 6.5 through 13 games, threatening to top his career-high of 8.0, but he’s well behind the league leaders.
That said, Rousseau has already registered 50 QB pressures, hitting that mark for the third consecutive season. He rushes from both sides, typically matching up against the right tackle on early downs before flipping over the left tackle on third down. He has outstanding length and initial burst, using the long arm and bull rush to condense the pocket. It’s that pocket-collapsing style Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn loves so much from his edge defenders.
It’s worth monitoring how Decker holds up against the powerful Rousseau. The blindside blocker has missed the past two weeks with a knee injury and has been wearing a brace this week. His mobility could be limited, adding to the challenge.
● The Bills are one of the league’s most well-rounded teams. Allen is a stud, the run game is highly productive, and their defense is top 10 in scoring while generating the third most takeaways.
If there’s a weakness, it’s the third-down struggles for that defense. Opponents are converting 43.2% of the time and the Rams brutalized them last week, going 11-for-15. Meanwhile, third down is a strength for Detroit’s offense. They rank fourth in the league, extending the drive on 45.8% of their tries.
Buffalo doesn’t give up a lot of big plays, particularly in the pass game. Detroit will likely need several sustained scoring drives, which is doubly important because it will help keep the ball out of Allen’s hands.