The Bills made a statement on Sunday afternoon. They proved that they truly are one of the best teams in the NFL with an electrifying 48-42 road win over the Detroit Lions. For the second week in a row, the Bills scored and gave up over 40 points, but this game had a different feel to it (as well as a different outcome).
In a game like this, it takes the entire team to secure a victory, especially on the road. The Bills bounced back in a big way to move to 11-3 while also snapping the Lions 11-game win streak. With three games remaining, all divisional games, the Bills will look to finish the season strong in an attempt to chase down Kansas City for the top overall seed in the AFC.
As the playoffs approach, the Bills need to be firing on all cylinders. Not only do their top players need to step up, but the full 53-man roster needs to play a part on the quest for a trip to New Orleans. Let’s take a look at the two players who stepped up on Sunday in a potential Super Bowl preview matchup.
RB Ty Johnson
Johnson was the breakout player for the Bills from the start of this game. He finished as the Bills leading receiver on the day with 115 yards on five catches, and he helped ignite the Bills’ offense on the very first drive. On the second offensive play, Johnson caught a pass for 33 yards to get the Bills into Detroit territory. Just four plays later, Josh Allen found Johnson again on third down for 26 yards to set the Bills up first and goal from the Lions’ six yard line, which was eventually capped off with an Allen rushing touchdown. Later in the half, Johnson stepped up again. On fourth down, Allen found Johnson on a wheel route up the sideline for 31 yards to pick up the first. That drive also ended in a touchdown and re-established a two score lead for Buffalo.
The second half picked up right where the first half ended, as Johnson took a 19 yard pass on the second play from scrimmage to get Buffalo into Detroit territory. Johnson proved to be a reliable target for Allen throughout the game, which will be something to watch for as the season continues.
DT Ed Oliver
In my pregame article, I said Oliver was a player that truly needed to step up on Sunday, and boy did he answer. He was by far the best defensive player for the Bills and he made his presence felt right from the start. There was a clear mentality change for the defense compared to last week, and they forced a three and out on the first defensive possession.
Even though the Lions offensive line was back to full strength, they had no answers for Oliver. He was the menace that we saw in 2023, finishing with 10 pressures, 3 QB hits, one sack and a forced fumble. In the run game, he was also an integral part of holding the Lions to just 48 yards on 15 carries (3.2 yards per carry). This was the breakout game that Oliver needed, and hopefully it’s the one that ignites him for the rest of the season.
It was truly a full team effort on Sunday, especially with the players that were out, but these two players stepped up in the big moments to secure the “upset” win for Buffalo. Next up, the Bills will host the New England Patriots at 4:25pm in Orchard Park. The chase for the one seed is still on, so the 14 point spread cannot get to the players’ heads.