5 things to watch out for in week 15

Last week, the Bills put up 42 points (in a loss) against the Los Angeles Rams, and they are now expected to add two key pieces to their offense. Tight end Dalton Kincaid practiced fully Wednesday (walk-in practice) after missing the previous three games with a knee injury. Receiver Keon Coleman was also a full participant this week after missing the previous four games with a wrist issue. Both are expected to join a Bills offense this week as they prepare to keep pace with the NFL’s highest-scoring Lions offense.

Both of the Bills’ starting safeties, Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin, were on the injury report this week, along with No. 1 cornerback Rasul Douglas. All three wonder if they will play or not. If anyone misses the Week 15 game, it would hurt Buffalo immensely, as they have the difficult task of slowing down Detroit’s offense led by offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

In Week 14 against the Rams, James Cook had just 20 rushing yards on six attempts (3.3 yards per carry). And he was the only Bills running back to get a carry. Quarterback Josh Allen shouldered the load in the running game, rushing for 82 yards and three touchdowns.

Will the running backs do anything in Week 15? If they can, that would be valuable considering it would keep Detroit’s explosive offense off the field longer.

The Lions defense plays man coverage at a higher rate than any team in the NFL (42.4%). Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady has tons of weapons to work with now in the passing game with Coleman and Kincaid expected to return. How Brady calls this game against Aaron Glenn’s Detroit defense will be a chess match to watch.

Having Amari Cooper and Coleman on the outside, Khalil Shakir and Kincaid on the inside, as well as pass catchers out of the backfield like Ty Johnson and Cook, should provide Brady and Allen with plenty of ammunition to attack mismatches on everything the land.

The Rams offense did pretty much whatever it wanted against the Bills in Week 14. The Bills couldn’t get any pressure on quarterback Matt Stafford and wide receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp were constantly making plays to move the chains and get into the end zone.

The effort on defense was so weak that defensive coordinator Bobby Babich had a few words after the game, saying it was a “conglomeration of people who weren’t doing their job at a high level.” We’ll see how they respond in a tough environment against the best offense in the NFL.