The Buffalo Bills rolled into their shiny new home at Highmark Stadium and got the job done in Week 2, dropping the Detroit Lions 41-31. It was a W and the team is 2-0, but let’s be real, not everything was perfect. Early season means looking for clean play, and some things are still pretty messy.
Offense Came Out Swinging
Listen, the offense was absolutely cooking. After a slower start last week, running back James Cook went off for **135 yards on the ground**, averaging a ridiculous 6.4 yards per carry and snagging a touchdown. Josh Allen? Dude was a dual-threat menace, adding two more scores with his legs and slinging three through the air. You love to see it, especially that improv play to Josh Palmer who was supposed to be a decoy but ended up wide open for a score! They scored touchdowns on their first four drives. Detroit had no answers. The only real downside was the injury to wide receiver DJ Moore, never what you want to see. Hope that’s not too serious.
Defense Got Exposed Down the Middle
Alright, so the offense was fire, but the defense? We gotta talk. The Bills still struggle to cover receivers over the middle. How else do you explain Amon-Ra St. Brown, one of the best slot guys in the league, hauling in **nine catches for a whopping 142 yards and two touchdowns**? Jared Goff found his rhythm eventually, and that’s a problem that needs fixing. The pass rush had its moments, but not enough to shut him down. On the run side, credit where it’s due: the Bills held Detroit’s main man Jahmyr Gibbs to just 52 yards rushing on 3.3 yards per carry. Our early scoring meant Detroit couldn’t lean on him as much, but they did try to get him going for one series and it was a struggle.
Special teams had some serious head-scratchers, too. Sam Franklin got flagged on the opening kickoff, the *first ever* flag at the new stadium! Kicker Tyler Bass missed an extra point and put his first kickoff into the end zone, basically gifting the Lions 35 yards. Punt returner Greg Dortch, playing his old team, did have a sweet 25-yard gainer, so at least there was one bright spot there.
So, a win is a win, especially to open the new stadium. But these early season games are about ironing out the kinks. The offensive firepower is undeniable, a true force. But that leaky pass defense over the middle? That’s the kind of thing that will get picked apart by better teams down the line. They need to tighten that up, and fast, to build on this 2-0 start.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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