That 41-31 final score against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football? It doesn’t even tell half the story of how ugly Week 2 was for our Lions. After an overtime victory over the Saints, we needed to shift focus fast, but man, did we ever look unprepared for the AFC powerhouse Bills. It felt like the game was over just as it started. Buffalo drove down the field with ease to go up 7-0, then their defense absolutely dominated us. By five minutes into the second quarter, it was a sickening 21-0. We tried to make a game of it, sure, but every time we got close, Buffalo pulled away. An embarrassing loss on national television, plain and simple.
Defense Looked Flat-Out Unprepared
Seriously, what *was* that? The Bills finished the game with a staggering 446 yards of offense. They rushed for 203 yards and threw for another 243. Josh Allen made our defense look foolish on the opening drive, rushing four times for 40 yards and a touchdown like it was nothing. Their offense only got stopped *twice* all game. Think about that! They moved the ball however they wanted for all four quarters. Penalties, missed assignments, and way too many easy plays by the Buffalo offense absolutely shredded us. It looked like we were still recovering from the previous week’s game. Yeah, Buffalo also had a short week, but their defense made far fewer mistakes than ours did. Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard had a rough, rough game, and it really seemed like he didn’t have his guys prepared. It was an awful performance from that entire side of the ball, from the players to the coaching staff. Burn the tape. We need to use the time between now and Week 3 to improve and make sure this kind of showing isn’t a recurring theme. We cannot let this happen again.
Our O-Line: Held Together by Chewing Gum
It’s only Week 2 and we already have three backups playing on our offensive line! We knew center Cade Mays was going to miss the first four games, but the injury bug just keeps hitting us hard. Left guard Christian Mahogany left Week 1 early with a hip injury and didn’t return, and rookie right tackle Blake Miller didn’t practice all week with a knee injury and was ruled out. That meant left guard Ben Bartch and right tackle Larry Borom got their first start for Detroit, joining center Juice Scruggs, who only just got his first start last week. You’ve got three guys with little to no practice playing next to each other, and frankly, this is the result you’re going to get. It’s a tough break, and it sucks seeing the line struggle like this. The only good news in this mess is that Miller’s injury shouldn’t be long-term, and Mays could finally debut in the next month. We desperately need those guys back.
We’ve got to learn from this painful lesson. Our defense has to get its act together and stop the big plays, and we need our O-line to get healthy, fast. Week 3 is coming, and we can’t afford to let this awful performance become a trend. There’s a lot on the line every single week, and we need to show up ready to fight. Let’s get it right.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pride of Detroit.
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