Josh Allen took over this game in the first quarter, and even with the Lions scoring a respectable amount of points, it was clear the Buffalo Bills QB would never let Detroit back in the game. If the Lions scored, Allen would respond with one of his own. Just for good measure.
Just to show who was in control. I didn’t expect a blowout, with both these teams looking like playoff candidates — and perhaps division winners. But that’s what we got, with the Bills humbling the Lions, 41-31, on Thursday night.
Here are my takeaways: We keep asking: Is it their year? There’s reason to believe, now more than ever. This could be their year to make a Super Bowl run.
And it’s about what’s new. Josh Allen is the best player on the planet, but there were times when former Bills coach Sean McDermott seemed to be holding back the organization, whether it was with his conservative (and errant) game management or his sometimes unimaginative defense. So coach Joe Brady’s promotion (from offensive coordinator last year) seems to be marking a truly new era.
His offense has been incredible, pulling off a great win in Houston last week and absolutely racking up huge numbers this week. But it wasn’t really the offense that was the big story this week. It was the defense, where coordinator Jim Leonhard has the unit humming — immediately.
It’s hard sometimes for a defensive coordinator to come in and change a scheme on the players, who might’ve fit better in the previous scheme. That wasn’t the case here. The returners have been great.
And the newcomers — edge Bradley Chubb, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and cornerback Dee Alford — have plugged holes from last year. This is a tough game to go around heaping praise on Detroit.
The Lions just didn’t have it on this particular night. Maybe it’s because they’re still a young roster, ranking as the 11th-youngest in the NFL. Maybe it’s that the offensive line needs a little time to mesh after replacing two of their starters.
Maybe it’s that the secondary needs to mesh after also replacing two of their starters. But most likely, it’s all of that. That’s a lot of work for coach Dan Campbell, offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard.
But I still like this core, with huge talents at premium positions: quarterback Jared Goff, receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, tight end Sam LaPorta, left tackle Penei Sewell and edge Aidan Hutchinson. That’s an incredible amount of talent.
It’s an issue that those guys didn’t show up in the ways they should have. But don’t count them out. They’ll fix this. (And maybe they’ll pick up the phone and give the Steelers a ring about cornerback Joey Porter Jr.) Josh Allen just scored five total touchdowns to add to the four total he scored last week.
And if the season were to end at the end of this week, he’d almost definitely be the MVP. But we have plenty of football left to play. It’s going to get more interesting every week.
In Week 1, Lamar Jackson had two total touchdowns, 324 passing yards and 40 rushing yards in the Baltimore Ravens' blowout win over the Indianapolis Colts. And Caleb Williams looks dangerous — like a legitimate third contender. He scored four total touchdowns as part of the Bears’ 59 points scored last week in their victory over the Panthers.
It’s hard to count out Matthew Stafford, even with a dud in Week 1. It’s hard to count out Joe Burrow, with a solid start — and a very favorable schedule. Heck, it’s foolish to completely discount Patrick Mahomes.
This is going to be fun, folks. Buckle up. The Bills will host the Chargers in Week 3, and you have to think L.A. will be quaking heading into (new) Highmark Stadium.
There’s nothing this offense can’t do, particularly after seeing Allen spreading the ball around to his deep crop of pass-catchers in Dalton Kincaid, Joshua Palmer, Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir and basically whoever else steps on the field. It’s never a good thing to lose DJ Moore to an injury, but this performance has to make them feel like they’ll be just fine if he misses time. We certainly know James Cook will produce.
The Chargers might feel better about themselves if they can pull off a win over the Raiders on Sunday. But all those good vibes are gonna get negative real fast after taking a look at this box score — let alone the film. The Lions host the Jets next week, and I’m not sure it’s as easy as beating up on Gang Green.
I don’t want to pump them up too much for a win over the lowly Titans. But I’ll admit, quarterback Geno Smith looked poised last week. And yes, the Jets had weapons.
They even looked like they had a half-decent offensive line. But the biggest issue is that Jets coach Aaron Glenn is a Lions defector. When a coordinator leaves for a coaching gig, he often causes problems in a matchup against his former team.
So Glenn could give Campbell and Goff a real headache. I suspect the Lions will win. But not easily.
