Bills/Lions Preview – 5 Questions With Side Lion Report

Once again the Bills are searching for their first win as the finally arrive back home at Ralph Wilson Stadium to take on the Detroit Lions.

The Lions will be without their starting QB Matthew Stafford, which hopefully will give the Bills the edge in this Sunday’s match-up.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Zac Snyder of Side Lion Report to ask him 5 big questions about the 2-6 Detroit Lions.

BLD: What is the feeling in Detroit about Matthew Stafford not being durable enough to have a solid career in the NFL?

SLR: The question has been asked before. The latest injury gives more credibility to the group that already saw Stafford as fragile and more fans are starting to jump on that bandwagon. Four major injuries in less than two seasons makes it hard to argue that Stafford can hold up over the course of an entire NFL season. I hope he can, but I don’t have any evidence to suggest he ever will.

BLD: The Lions have been competitive in a lot of games this year, but seem to be falling short (much like the Bills). Why can’t the Lions close out the end of games?

SLR: The process of learning how to win is a bigger deal than most fans understand. The Lions have fallen behind in most of their losses and had comeback attempts that fell short. The Jets game last week was the first time they really let a win slip away. I would argue that they would have come out with the win if it were not for the injuries to kicker Jason Hanson and Matthew Stafford. I could feel that game slipping away and a lot of it was due to circumstances beyond their control. Unfortunately the didn’t do a good job with the things they did control and thus we are where we are. To me, the main reason for that is the fact that they are still dealing with a talent gap compared to the rest of the league.

BLD: Do the Lions have a true #2 wide receiver, or do the Bills just need to shut down Calvin Johnson to stop the Lions passing game?

SLR: While Calvin Johnson was stranded on Revis Island last week, Nate Burleson put together a fine game with over 100 yards receiving and a touchdown. He has been a legitimate number two receiver when healthy. The Lions have also been effective using their tight ends and backs as receivers so the Bill will have to account for much more than just Calvin Johnson. In fact, Brandon Pettigrew’s numbers put him among the elite pass catching tight ends.

BLD: What must the Lions do and not do to win this game at Buffalo?

SLR: Shaun Hill must be able to play effectively and the Lions defense needs to keep doing what they are doing, especially up front

BLD: Game Prediction?

SLR: Lions send the Bills to 0-9. Lions 24, Bills 13