DETROIT — The Detroit Lions struggled to find a solution for Josh Allen during their recent match, and now, they are facing the challenge of stopping other teams with a diminished defense. In their high-scoring loss to the Buffalo Bills, which ended at 48-42, the Lions saw their already compromised defense take further hits, losing three players to injuries that may potentially end their seasons.
Defensive tackle Alim McNeill suffered a knee injury, cornerback Carlton Davis III exited with a jaw issue, and reserve cornerback Khalil Dorsey broke his right leg, an injury similar to that of Aidan Hutchinson, who is already out for the season, according to head coach Dan Campbell. “We’ll find out more about Alim and Davis tomorrow, but my outlook isn’t positive for either one,” Campbell noted. “When I say I don’t feel good about an injury, it usually means they might not return this season.”
The Lions currently have the highest number of players on injured reserve in the NFL, many of whom play on the defensive side. Despite managing to cope without Hutchinson, the game against Buffalo highlighted the depth of their troubles. They failed to secure a single sack and managed only three quarterback hits against Allen, who threw for a staggering 362 yards and two touchdowns, while also adding 68 rushing yards and two touchdowns of his own.
Campbell expressed his frustration, stating, “He presents a considerable challenge for any team, and we anticipated that. Our aim was to contain him better, and we just didn’t succeed. It’s frustrating to see our self-inflicted errors contribute to their success.” He added that allowing the Bills to score was detrimental and that they needed to avoid helping the opposing team in any way.
Buffalo’s offensive performance was impressive, racking up 48 points and 559 yards of total offense, a feat that could have been even more significant had Tyler Bass not missed a 24-yard field goal. This performance came on the heels of their previous narrow loss to the Los Angeles Rams the week prior. “We recognized they would come in hungry after their tough outing on the West Coast,” Campbell stated. “They showed urgency, and we failed to match that intensity. I take responsibility for not having the players fully prepared for the challenge.”
Despite the loss, the Lions had a commendable offensive output, amassing 521 yards, with Jared Goff throwing for 494 yards. Goff recorded a remarkable 333 yards in the second half alone but noted that the rushing attack was unable to contribute significantly, with only seven yards added on the ground. Detroit trailed by 17 points early in the fourth quarter and didn’t find the end zone again until the final seconds of the game.
Reflecting on the game, Goff remarked, “If we had started the game playing like we did in the second half, we might have been able to keep it closer during the first three quarters. It wouldn’t have felt as much like garbage time at the end.” He believes the experience could be beneficial for the future. “While our goal was to win every game, including the Super Bowl, that didn’t materialize. I hope we can turn this experience into a learning opportunity and apply these lessons in our next three games.”
