Like a meteor shower, the Detroit Lions’ exceptional fireworks season came crashing back to earth on Sunday. Despite an outstanding effort from quarterback Jared Goff who completed 38 of 59 attempts for 494 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions, the Lions’ injury-plagued defense couldn’t overcome Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.
Detroit Lions Defense Must Improve For Number One Seed
Detroit’s remarkable eleven-game win streak came to a crushing end. The team’s record dipped to 12-2. Now, tied with the Philadelphia Eagles, their hold on the NFC’s number one seed is precariously thin. They must win the remaining three games.
Sunday’s match was predicted to be a high-scoring shootout between the two top quarterbacks in the league and this game lived up to that billing. Detroit’s offense is among the best in the NFL. These two premier NFL offenses combined for almost 1,100 yards with 12 touchdowns and only four punts in the season’s highest-scoring game.
Amon-Ra St. Brown had a season-high 14 catches for 193 yards and a touchdown. Sam LaPorta notched his first 100-yard game this season. But ultimately, the game came down to the defense. That’s where the Lions fell short.
Lions Defense Unable To Contain Josh Allen in 48-42 Loss
Closing in on his fifth consecutive 4,000-yard season, Allen the Bills’ 6’5″ scoring machine, was outstanding on Sunday. Only one week after posting three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns against the Los Angeles Rams, Allen had another great performance. Cementing his bid as the league MVP, Allen passed for 23 of 34 for 362 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He rushed for another 69 yards, adding two more touchdowns.
The Lions prepared to defend Allen and the Bills’ star running back, James Cook. But they were caught off guard by their secret weapon Ty Johnson. Cook’s backup led the team with five receptions for 114 yards.An Injury Depleted Defense
Aaron Glenn, the Lions’ defensive coordinator has been masterful in stitching together a group of newly acquired veterans. Moving players around to cover for injuries and absences, his patchwork defense held up well over the past few months. But on Sunday the sutures ripped apart to reveal gaping holes and suddenly, the rag-tag group looked completely out of sync.
Making matters even tougher for Detroit, three more defenders went down with serious injuries. Defensive lineman Alim McNeill injured his knee in the third quarter. Visibly in pain and upset as he made his way to the sidelines, McNeill was ruled out for the rest of the game.
Cornerback Khalil Dorsey suffered a gruesome leg injury and is likely out for the rest of the season. Suffering an injured jaw before halftime, defensive back Carlton Davis is in concussion protocol. Davis has been one of the team leaders in tackles. The defense could have used him during the second half.
The Lions Offense Steps Up
Playing from behind the entire game, Detroit couldn’t fully capitalize on their ground game. Detroit’s outstanding league-leading duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr “Sonic ” Gibbs have over 1,000 yards each this season with ten touchdowns. Even though the pair were limited to a season-low 48 yards on Sunday, “Sonic” added both a receiving and rushing touchdown.
Down by as much as 17 points during the game, the Lions relied on their outstanding quarterback to lead the team and Goff delivered. As great as Allen was on Sunday, Goff met him touchdown for touchdown. Goff had five touchdowns to Allen’s four but the six-point difference in the final score came from two late-game Tyler Bass field goals.
Goff doesn’t get enough credit for the calm, methodical way he leads the team. On a night when everything seemed to be going against the Lions, from injuries and bad penalty calls to the rare missed field goal, Goff kept finding the endzone.
What Will It Take For the Lions?
Clinging to a slender mathematical lead over the Eagles with three games remaining in the regular season, the Lions are in a must-win scenario. Just as the Bills did when they lost a 44-42 game against the Rams, the Lions need to shake off Sunday’s loss and come back stronger. Unfortunately, the hits keep coming for Detroit. Following Sunday’s game, the Lions are down four players.
The Lions now have 23 individuals on injured reserve, with 18 players from the defense. According to the latest injury update, Davis was diagnosed with a broken jaw and will be out for the remainder of the season. McNeill is out with a torn ACL. Dorsey broke his leg and Montgomery is feared to have a season-ending MCL injury.
Brad Holmes has done an excellent job finding veteran talent to shore up the bleeding defense. However, the locker room is starting to look more like a trauma center. The only good news is that several players including Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes could return from injured reserve in time for the playoffs. But first, the Lions must win their next three games to secure the number-one seed and home-field advantage. Things may look grim but don’t count this team out. Dan Campbell built this team to withstand adversity and not back down. This team has the grit and determination to bounce back and take it to the next level.
