Buffalo Bills beat Detroit Lions, 48-42

Early in the game, the Bills made a concerted effort to get the ball into the hands of the players battling Detroit’s linebackers. Ty Johnson broke out with a five-catch, 114-yard effort. James Cook had a 28-yard reception. Ray Davis added two catches for 14 yards and a touchdown.

Josh Allen has had success with the Lions. He extended plays, daring Detroit’s defense to play man-to-man. Allen threw several beautiful passes, including a bomb to Keon Coleman.

Allen had his highest passing production of the season, throwing for 362 yards.

Nine receivers caught passes from Allen. Khalil Shakir led the way with six receptions, while Johnson had the most receiving yards.

James Cook returned to form after a disappointing game against the Rams. Cook rushed 20 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Cook broke through and outran the Lions defense to open the scoring in the second half on a 41-yard sprint to the end zone.

Allen complemented the rushing play by breaking loose when necessary. He rushed 11 times for 68 yards and two touchdowns.

It was a remarkable effort from the Bills run defense to contain the Lions’ David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. Gibbs rushed eight times for 31 yards, while Montgomery had five carries for four yards. It was, by far, Detroit’s lowest total of the season. Their previous low was 105 yards in Week 10 against Houston.

For a unit that has been inconsistent against the run this year, this was quite a performance from Buffalo.

The only infuriating thing about the game was seeing Lions quarterback Jared Goff rush for a first down. Other than that, congratulations on the Bills’ commitment to stopping the run.

Ah, this one is difficult to explore. The only thing that saved the group from an F was that the team did just enough to win.

Jared Goff was forced to throw a lot of throws while playing from behind. However, it’s still shocking to see 494 passing yards allowed when looking at the box score. Goff was 38 of 59 for 494 passing yards and five touchdowns.

The Bills saw another No. 1 receiver dominate their secondary. This time, Amon-Ra St. Brown was the culprit, catching 14 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown.

Buffalo’s secondary recorded three passes defensed.

Christian Benford made a nice play against St. Brown, forcing a fumble. Kaiir Elam and Taron Johnson recorded deflections in the match while Rasul Douglas did not play due to injury.

The special teams unit had a solid game. The group recovered two onside kicks, including one that Mack Hollins nearly returned for a touchdown. The final recovery sealed Buffalo’s victory. Taron Johnson fought for what seemed like forever to secure the victory for the Bills.

Sam Martin was called upon only once, sending a perfect ball 51 yards deep into Lions territory.

Tyler Bass was something again. He was successful in all six of his PAT attempts. He made field goals of 41 and 50 yards. Bass, however, missed a short 24-yard field goal late in the first half.

The offense put on a clinic against the Lions. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady called it a near-perfect game. The offense executed everything well, totaling 559 yards. Brady put Allen in the perfect position to play. Buffalo’s playmakers were there throughout the game.

Defensively, the plan against Detroit’s running game was perfect. The Lions were forced to play one-dimensionally. And my God, they were very successful. Buffalo, however, did just enough with its depleted secondary to stay in the lead.

It’s important to remember that Buffalo had a shortened week of practice. The Bills were prepared enough to beat the team with the best record in the NFL. Still, we don’t think Sean McDermott will allow another brief week of practice after this win.