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That's what it's all about for the Buffalo Bills (1-0), who welcome the Detroit Lions (1-0) to Highmark Stadium for Thursday night's game.
The Bills got their campaign off on the right foot on Sunday, battling to a 36-31 road win against the Houston Texans . As for their counterparts, the Lions needed overtime after blowing a 21-0 lead in the second half to fend off the New Orleans Saints in a 31-30 overtime victory.
Two high-powered offenses and two mediocre defenses will be on display in Buffalo, which should lead to a lot of points and excitement in western New York.
Detroit was on cruise control much of the game against New Orleans , cruising to a 21-0 lead midway through the third quarter thanks to two touchdowns from Jahmyr Gibbs and another from Amon-Ra St. Brown .
However, the Lions took their foot off the gas on offense after that St. Brown score and the defense was absolutely torched by Saints quarterback Tyler Shough . He hit Juwan Johnson with a touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter to cap a 24-3 scoring run, forcing the extra session.
New Orleans nearly completed the stunning upset, but missed a two-point conversion that would have won it. Shough lit the Saints' defense up during the rally, finishing with 410 yards passing and three touchdowns. If you're the Lions, allowing that is just unacceptable.
As for the Bills, they held their heads high leaving the state of Texas. Josh Allen (20-of-29 for 334 yards, 4 total TDs) and the offense were brilliant, as putting up 36 points against the Texans on 7.9 yards per play was stunning.
Bet the Lions and Bills to go over the total on Thursday Night Football
Obviously, the defensive woes are clouds hanging over these franchises. And if either teams falls short of the Super Bowl, it won't be because their offenses sputtered. The shortcomings will fall squarely on the defenses, which neither team has time to address with the short Week 2 turnaround.
This meeting has "shootout" written all over it. Thinking this game will be some low-scoring affair is simply irresponsible, especially considering the fact the last time these sides met resulted in Buffalo earning a 48-42 win in 2024.
HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 13: Quarterback Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills readies for play during the NFL game between the Houston Texans and the Buffalo Bills on September 13, 2026, at Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX.
While I expect Allen to have a field day picking apart the porous Detroit defense with his arm, I think he will enjoy just as much success with his legs.
In 18 games a season ago (playoffs included) , Allen ran for 30 yards or more in 12 of them. And if you go back to the 2024 meeting, Allen ran all over the Lions. He finished with 11 carries for 68 yards and two scores.
What works in Allen's favor here is I think defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard is going to have the Lions playing more man coverage than he'd like. And Detroit, which plays zone coverage more than 70% of the time, will just get lit up by Allen if it goes that route.
The switch to more man coverage will lead to more pressure on Allen up front, which will get him out of the pocket and into some open spaces for some big chunk plays on the ground.
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