The 12-1 Detroit Lions welcome the first place Buffalo Bills to town for another important game. The Lions are looking to continue their winnings ways after winning another close game against division rival Green Bay. Buffalo has already knocked off the Kansas City Chiefs and will look to spoil another top team’s fortune on Sunday. Next we will look at three keys to victory for the Detroit Lions.

Containing Allen in the Run

Josh Allen is having yet another MVP caliber year. He has led his team to a comfortable seat atop the AFC East division. Allen is having another prolific season throwing the ball with 23 Td Passes and only 5 interceptions. With that being said, the area the Lions may be most concerning for Detroit is his ability to get outside the pocket and cause havoc in the open field. The Lions have given up the 5th most rushing yards to QBs this year with 323. The Lions will lean on newly acquired Edge rusher Zdarius Smith to kep contain and neutralize Allen’s rushing attack. In 4 games this year with Detroit, Smith has tallied 20 pressures, 14 hurries, 2 QB hits and 4 sacks.

"You're planning and hoping you see this team again"

ESPN's @danorlovsky7 on the importance of this week's game in Detroit against the Lions🔊⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Pnj7odarcQ

— One Bills Live (@OneBillsLive) December 11, 2024

Turnover Differential

After a losing a close game this past week to the LA Rams, all while giving up an eye gouging 44 points. It’s obvious that the Bills defense has some deficiencies that the Lions can exploit. Inspire of that, the Bills rank a respectable 8th in the league in scoring defense. This is due in part to their ability to take the ball away at a high rate. The Bills rank 3rd in the league in total takeaways, with a decent blend between interceptions and fumbles accounting for that. If the Lions can protect the ball and convert on 3rd down and red zone opportunities, they should have no problem putting points on the board against a suspect Bills defense.

ESTABLISH THE RUN

The Buffalo Bills come into this game ranking 18th in the NFL against the run. They gave up 137 yards overall against the Rams, which resulted in 3 of their touchdowns. The Lions boast the top two-headed attack that is breaking records by the day. On November 17th the Lions scored a rushing TD, breaking the most consecutive games (including postseason) of doing so. The Lions struggled to run the ball against a fierce Green Bay defense, but if they can get back on the right track this week, the Bills could be in for a long day.

The AFC East is down this year but the Buffalo Bills come into the game very battle tested thus far. DVOA, an assessment that ranks all NFL teams, partially due to their strength of schedule has them at 4th in the league. The Lions will again be faced with the task of protecting home field, and maintaining their spot at the helm of the NFC, with teams like Minnesota and Philadelphia right underneath them. The Lions should be getting some key guys back this week. Dan Campbell specifically spoke about Taylor Decker and Levi Onwuzurike as players that he feels good about returning. He also stated that Alim McNeill as of now remains in concussion protocol after sustaining an injury in the first half of last game.