Seriously, listen up to this wild stat before Thursday night’s game. The Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions have been around forever, right? But they’ve only played each other 13 times in regular season games spread across more than five decades. And get this: the Bills have scored 274 points, the Lions 273. One measly point is the difference between these two franchises across over a hundred combined years of football. Wild stuff, right? This upcoming game isn’t just another matchup, it is a battle for a lead in a series that is impossibly close.
The Last Time Felt Like a Super Bowl Preview (And It Was Nuts)
Remember December 15, 2024? Man, that one was supposed to be a legit Super Bowl preview. The Lions rolled in at 12-1, riding an insane 11-game winning streak. The Bills were no slouches at 10-3, even after dropping a 44-42 thriller to the Los Angeles Rams. And Buffalo brought the noise, big time. They walked into Ford Field and dropped 48 points on Detroit.
Josh Allen was on another planet. He threw for 362 yards and two touchdowns, then ran for another 68 yards and two scores. James Cook absolutely gashed them for 105 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Bills racked up an insane 559 yards of offense. But Detroit wasn’t going to just roll over. The Bills jumped to a 14-0 lead and even stretched it to 35-14 in the third quarter. Then Jared Goff went ballistic, tossing for 494 yards and five touchdowns. The Lions hung 21 points in the fourth quarter, turning what looked like a rout into a nail-biter until the final whistle. Bills won 48-42. What a game. Allen’s MVP resume definitely got another entry that day.
Thanksgiving Thriller, Buffalo’s Second Home Game in Detroit
But that wasn’t the only time these teams went down to the wire. Two years earlier, on Thanksgiving, the Bills were also in Detroit. And get this, it was their second game in the Motor City in five days! A massive snowstorm back home forced their Week 11 game against the Browns to Ford Field, which they won. Then they flew home, turned around, and came right back for Thanksgiving. Talk about a brutal travel schedule!
The Lions made them earn every single inch in that one. Detroit battled back and tied the game at 25 with only 23 seconds left on the clock. But you know Josh Allen. He instantly hit Stefon Diggs for a massive 36-yard gain. That put Buffalo right into field-goal range, and Tyler Bass absolutely drilled a 45-yarder to seal the deal.
So, when these two storied franchises meet again on Thursday night, you know it’s not just another game. With one single point separating their entire series history, every single play is going to matter. Expect fireworks, expect insane offensive plays, and expect another classic chapter in this surprisingly close, yet rarely played, rivalry. You won’t want to miss it!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Buffalo Rumblings.
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