the 2026 detroit lions defense has allowed 71 points already this year.
The Lions arrived in Buffalo on Thursday night with the intention of spoiling the Bills’ big night. The opening of their brand-new stadium, Highmark Stadium, but it was far from playing the spoiler. More like disaster.
The Bills quickly took control of the game, scoring on their first drive and capping it off with a Josh Allen QB sneak for a touchdown. 7-0. Bills.
The Lions’ defense got them into third and long early in the second drive, but they could not get a stop. Finally, on third and 11, the Lions blitzed once again and paid for it. Josh Allen found Joshua Palmer wide open on what looked like a busted coverage in the Lions’ secondary for a 43-yard touchdown pass. 14-0 Bills.
Defensive penalties plagued the Lions defense on the third touchdown drive. Two defensive penalties in the secondary failed to get them off the field. The drive ended in a 1-yard touchdown pass from Josh Allen to Dawson Knox. 21-0 Bills.
The Lions offense finally showed up and snapped the shutout thanks to a drive that leaned heavily on Jahmyr Gibbs and ended in a Gibbs 11 yard touchdown reception from Jared Goff. 21-7. Bills.
The Bills would make it 4 touchdowns on their first 4 drives later in the quarter. An embarassing performance on this drive from the defense, giving up two long runs to James Cook to get the Bills into Lions territory and capped off by a 16 yard touchdown pass from Allen to tight end Dalton Kincaid. The Lions would add on a field goal by Jake Bates to end the half.
27-10 Bills. Halftime.
Coming out of halftime, the Lions offense showed up taking the opening kickoff 74 yards to cut the Buffalo lead down to 10. The Lions capped this drive off with an Amon-Ra St. Brown touchdown reception. 27-17 Bills.
Unfortunately once again the Lions defense couldn’t get a stop and keep the game in striking defense for the offense. A drive that included four third and short conversions on QB sneaks by Josh Allen which set up an Allen 2 yard touchdown run. 34-17 Bills.
St. Brown continued to rack up the recieving yards in the fourth quarter. A 1 yard touchdown to Laporta cut the lead to 10. 34-24. Bills.
The Bills got the ball back and got another third down conversion that led to a James Cook 1 yard touchdown run. 41-24. Bills.
With time running out and down 17 the Lions turned to the hurry-up offense marching down the field in seven plays with St. Brown adding a second touchdown on the night. This time on a beautiful 27 yard pass from Jared Goff. The Lions would attempt the onside kick and not convert. Ballgame.
41-31. Bills. Final.
Thoughts:
The one image I won’t get out of my mind after watching last night’s game is Josh Allen deciding to take off and run, with every single Lions player in the secondary having their back turned. It’s puzzling to understand the game plan against an MVP winner who can threaten you both in the air and on the ground.
The Bills will certainly be the hardest opponent the Lions play all year. However, the matchup was a genuine test for the Lions’ defense to determine if they could compete against a true contender and elite quarterback. They couldn’t. Allowing six touchdowns on eight drives won’t get it done and will limit this team’s ceiling to an early playoff exit.
I think the thing that has bothered me the most about the defensive play is how much it looks the same. How much it looks the same from last year, from 15-2 in 2024, hell, even the incredible year in 2023. The secondary still gives up big plays, and the defensive line still struggles to get to the QB. Last night, there was a noticeable absence of fundamentals and the schematic issues were very apparent. The Lions couldn’t set any edges last night, linebackers kept getting caught on blocks, and the secondary had multiple busted coverages.
It’s really hard to be optimistic about this Lions team given the defensive woes thus far. But, here’s to being optimistic and hoping a mini bye week can get them ready for the Jets next Sunday.
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