Detroit, Mich. (WGR 550) - After a win over the Cleveland Browns in Detroit this past Sunday, the Buffalo Bills return to the "Motor City" to take on the Lions for a Thanksgiving Day matchup at Ford Field.
It came down to the wire in the end, but it was Buffalo coming away victorious for the second week in-a-row, beating the Lions, 28-25, and improving to 8-3 on the season.
The Bills and Lions were both unsuccessful on their first drives of the game, but the Lions offense took advantage on their second crack at things. Running back Jamaal Williams led the way for the team, as he scored the first touchdown on a two-yard rush that gave the Detroit the opening lead.
The Bills offense came to life on their second drive, as well. Quarterback Josh Allen helped drive the offense down the field with a big 21-yard run, then found wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie open towards the back of the end zone with a 19-yard touchdown pass.
The Lions went driving down the field into Bills territory once again when Williams fumbled the football and defensive tackle Ed Oliver recovered the fumble.
After starting the drive at their own 42-yard line, Buffalo's offense picked up right where the unit left off. Running back Devin Singletary had the big play of the drive with a 19-yard run, and Allen capped off another scoring drive with a three-yard touchdown run.
The Lions offense was able to get back on track on their next drive. Quarterback Jared Goff helped lead the team down the field with multiple short passes on a long drive that took six minutes off of the clock in the process. Goff finally found wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown with a one-yard touchdown pass on a fourth down to tie the game at 14-14.
Allen and the Bills came back on the field with just under two minutes to go in the first half and were able to drive to Detroit's 20-yard line. However, Allen was sacked for a loss of eight yards with only two seconds left in the half, leading to a 46-yard field goal from kicker Tyler Bass to give Buffalo a 17-14 lead heading into halftime.
The Bills started the second half by marching down into the Lions' red zone, looking to double-dip to begin the third quarter. However, a pass intended for Stefon Diggs was batted up and intercepted by linebacker Alex Anzalone.
The Lions, though, were unable to advance the ball forward, as they got backed up into their own end zone, where Oliver sacked Goff on a third down for a safety.
Following the safety, the two teams traded the ball back-and-forth twice until the Lions finally broke through the Bills defense at the start of the fourth quarter.
Goff led his team down the field again after a 41-yard punt return from Kalif Raymond. The Lions quarterback found wide receiver D.J. Chark with a one-yard touchdown pass to give Detroit the lead. Running back D'Andre Swift then tacked on the two-point conversion attempt to give the Lions a 22-19 lead.
Following the touchdown, the two teams traded punts again until the Bills offense got back in their rhythm. The Bills took complete control of the game on this drive, trekking 90 yards in just over six minutes with Allen firing a five-yard touchdown pass to Diggs.
A Bass extra point would have given the Bills a four-point lead, forcing the Lions to go get a touchdown on their next drive to re-take the lead. However, Bass' kick would miss the mark, giving Buffalo just a three-point lead, 25-22.
With just over two minutes left on the clock, the Lions went 42 yards down the field, converting once on fourth down to set themselves up in field goal range. However, the Bills defense stopped Detroit at Buffalo's 33-yard line, forcing a 51-yard field goal from Michael Badgley to tie the game at 25-25.
However, Detroit left 23 seconds left on the clock, which was just enough for Allen and the Buffalo offense to set themselves up in scoring position to win the game.
The drive started with a precise 36-yard connection between Allen and Diggs to put Buffalo in enough range for Bass. After a pair of designed runs for Allen, Bass stepped up and nailed the game-winning field goal from 45 yards out.
The Lions only had two seconds left on the game clock, which they attempted to lateral a number of times before the ball was eventually fumbled and recovered by the Bills to end the game.
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GAME SUMMARY
First Quarter:
- 7-0 DETROIT: Lions touchdown (6:44) - Jamaal Williams rushed two yards for a touchdown. (Michael Badgley's extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 12 plays, 61 yards, 6:17
- 7-7 TIE: Bills touchdown (1:58) - Josh Allen found Isaiah Mckenzie with 19-yard touchdown pass. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:46
Second Quarter:
- 14-7 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (7:55) - Josh Allen rushed up the middle three yards for a touchdown. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 10 plays, 58 yards, 5:28
- 14-14 TIE: Lions touchdown (1:52) - Jared Goff tossed a one yard pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown for a touchdown. (Michael Badgley's extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 15 plays, 76 yards, 6:03
- 17-14 BUFFALO: Bills field goal (0:00) - Tyler Bass' 46-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 10 plays, 47 yards, 1:52
Third Quarter:
- 19-14 BUFFALO: Bills safety (9:05) - Ed Oliver sacks Jared Goff in the Lions' end zone for a safety.
Fourth Quarter:
- 22-19 DETROIT: Lions touchdown (13:47) - Jared Goff passes one yard to D.J. Chark for a touchdown. (D'Andre Swift's two-point conversion attempt is good)
Drive info: 5 plays, 35 yards, 2:09
- 25-22 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (2:40) - Josh Allen passes five yards to Stefon Diggs for a touchdown. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is no good)
Drive info: 14 plays, 90 yards, 6:19
- 25-25 TIE: Lions field goal (0:23) - Michael Badgley's 51-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 10 plays, 42 yards, 2:17
- 28-25 BUFFALO: Bills field goal (0:02) - Tyler Bass' 45-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 4 plays, 48 yards, 0:21
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SKYWORKS EQUPIMENT RENTAL STATS OF THE GAME
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What's next:
The Bills will play another Thursday game next week at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro against their AFC East rival New England Patriots. Kickoff next Thursday in prime-time is set for 8:15 p.m. EST on the official voice of the Buffalo Bills - WGR Sports Radio 550.
