Buffalo (10-3) at Detroit (12-1)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, CBS
BetMGM NFL odds: Lions by 2 1/2.
Against the spread: Bills 8-5; Lions 9-4.
Series record: Bills lead 7-4-1.
Last meeting: Bills beat Lions 28-25 on Nov. 24, 2022, in Detroit.
Last week: Bills lost to Rams 44-42; Lions beat Bears 23-20.
Bills offense: overall (10), rush (11), pass (12), scoring (2).
Bills defense: overall (14), rush (19), pass (9), scoring (8).
Lions offense: overall (2), rush (4), pass (4), scoring (1).
Lions defense: overall (10), rush (5), pass (23), scoring (T-2).
Turnover differential: Bills plus-17; Lions plus-8
Bills player to watch
Josh Allen. In his seventh season, he's making a strong case to be NFL MVP with 10 TDs in the past two games. Last week, Allen became the league’s first player to throw three TD passes and score three times rushing. Two weeks ago, he became the NFL’s first quarterback to be credited with two scores on one play — a TD passing and one receiving — in completing a pass to Amari Cooper and scoring when the WR tossed the ball back to the QB.
Lions player to watch
Jared Goff. With a banged-up defense, the Lions are going to have to keep up with the Allen-led Bills. Goff has completed 72.4% of his passes, ranking second in the NFL. If he completes three-fourths of his passes in one more game, he will join Tom Brady (2007) as the only players in league history to connect on 75% of passes in eight or more games. In Detroit's past five home games, Goff has thrown 14 TDs and only one INT since throwing two INTs without a TD in the team's only loss to Tampa Bay in Week 2.
Key matchup
Buffalo's passing game against Detroit's secondary. Allen has been nearly unstoppable and the Lions have struggled to stop many teams from gaining a lot of yards with passes and penalties for pass interference.
Key injuries
Bills CB Rasul Douglas (knee) S Taylor Rapp (shoulder, neck) did not practice Wednesday or Thursday. TE Dalton Kincaid, who has missed three games with a knee injury, and WR Keon Coleman, who’s missed four games with an injured right wrist, are in position to return this week. ... Lions DT D.J. Reader (shoulder) was limited in practice Thursday after missing the previous game. ... OT Taylor Decker (knee) and DT Alim McNeill (concussion) practiced in full on Wednesday and Thursday, moving closer to playing after being out against Chicago on Thanksgiving. ... DL Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring) was limited in practice Thursday and DL Josh Paschal (knee) was a full participant after both were inactive against the Bears. ... LB Trevor Nowaske (concussion) was held out of practice Thursday.
Series notes
The Bills have won six of the past seven meetings, losing only in 2006 in Detroit. ... Tyler Bass made a tiebreaking 45-yard field goal with 2 seconds left after missing an extra point late in the fourth quarter to give Buffalo a 28-25 win against the Lions on Thanksgiving two years ago. It was the Bills' second win at Ford Field in five days, following their victory against Cleveland after a winter storm dumped several feet of snow in western New York and shifted the game to the Motor City.
Stats and stuff
Despite losing to the Rams to end a seven-game winning streak, the Bills are 10-3 or better through 13 games for the third time since 2020 and the eighth time in team history. ... The Bills have set a franchise record with an active run of scoring 30-plus points to seven straight games. ... Allen had his seventh turnover-free outing last week and his career record dropped to 30-6 when not throwing an interception or losing a fumble. He is 43-27 when committing a turnover, including a 5-1 mark this season. ... Cooper had a season-best 95 yards receiving last week for his most productive outing in five games since being acquired by Buffalo in a trade with Cleveland in October. His six catches on 14 targets were his most since joining the Bills. ... LB Matt Milano has combined for eight tackles, including one for a loss, in playing 102 of Buffalo’s 125 defensive snaps over the past two games since missing nearly 14 months with injuries. ... Von Miller has one sack in five games since returning from serving a four-game NFL suspension. He opened the season with a sack in each of his first three games. Miller’s 127 1/2 sacks lead active players and rank 17th overall, a half-sack behind Rickey Jackson. ... The Bills’ run of 14 straight games — 16 including playoffs — with a takeaway, going back to last season, ended last week. ... Buffalo allowed the Rams to convert 11 of 15 third downs for a 73.3% success rate, the third highest by an opponent in team history and best since Miami converted 75% of its third down chances in 1986. ... Detroit and Buffalo along with Philadelphia (11-2) and Pittsburgh (10-3) are the first pair of teams matching up in Week 15 or earlier with double digits in wins since 1985. ... The Bills are averaging 30.5 points a game, trailing only Detroit's league-high average of 32.1 points. ... The Bills are AFC East champions for a franchise-record fifth straight season. ... The Lions are aiming to extend their franchise-record winning streak to 12 games. ... Detroit has earned a postseason bid in consecutive seasons for the first time since a three-year run from 1993 through the 1995 season. ... The Lions have had an extended break, idling in the Motor City since Thanksgiving. ... David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs are the first NFL teammates to have 2,000-plus yards from scrimmage and 20 TDs in their first 25 games together. ... WR Amon-Ra St. Brown is tied for second with nine receiving TDs and tied for third with 81 catches. ... DE Za'Darius Smith has a sack against the Bills in his past two games against them.
Fantasy tip
Bills WR Khalil Shakir is having the best year of his three-season career and has a favorable matchup. While Detroit has not allowed a QB to complete more than 60% of his passes in seven consecutive games, the secondary gives up big plays and Shakir may take advantage.
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