The Buffalo Bills (4-9) welcome the Detroit Lions (5-8) to New Era Field for a 1 p.m. Eastern clash on Sunday.
The Bills have already been eliminated from playoff considerations for the 18th time in the last 19 years, while the Lions are hanging on by a thread in the NFC.
At this point, besides trying to split their four games vs. NFC North foes—Buffalo beat the Minnesota Vikings while losing to the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears—the Bills are evaluating which players will be part of their plans beyond 2018.
Sunday’s meeting will be the 11th all-time between Buffalo and Detroit, with the Bills holding onto a 5-4-1 lead in the series. The last time Buffalo hosted Detroit, the Bills started the 2010 campaign 0-8 before holding off the Lions for a 14-12 win on Nov. 14, 2010. Fred Jackson rushed for a touchdown and hauled in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick as the Bills took a 14-3 lead.
The Lions closed within 14-12 on a Shaun Hill touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson late in the fourth quarter, but the ensuing two-point conversion pass sailed out of the end zone and Buffalo held on for its first win of the year.
The last time these two teams played, the Lions raced out to a 14-0 lead on Oct. 5, 2014. Dan Carpenter booted two field goals and Kyle Orton tossed a two-yard touchdown pass to Chris Gragg (Jackson converted the two-point conversion) as Buffalo pulled even at 14. With four seconds remaining, Carpenter drilled a 58-yard field goal to seal the win for the Bills.
Here’s how to watch Sunday’s game from home:
TV Schedule
Date: Sunday, December 16, 2018
Time: 1 p.m. Eastern
Channel: The game will be carried locally on FOX on WUTV 29 in Buffalo, WUHF 31 in Rochester, and WXXA 23 in Albany. View the broadcast map.
Announcers: Joe Davis (play-by-play), Brady Quinn (analyst), and Megan Olivi (sideline reporter).
Location: New Era Field | Orchard Park, New York
Radio: WGR 550 AM (Buffalo), WCMF 96.5 FM and WROC 950 AM (Rochester), Fan 590 AM (Toronto), WTKW 99.5 FM and WKTV 105.5 FM (Syracuse), and the rest of the Buffalo Bills Radio Network.
Radio Play-by-Play: John Murphy and Mark Kelso in the booth with sideline reporter Sal Capaccio.
Online: NFL Game Pass, NFL.com Game Center
Friday Injury Report
Buffalo Bills
- Full participant: QB Derek Anderson (concussion), TE Jason Croom (groin), RB Chris Ivory (shoulder).
- Limited participant: K Stephen Hauschka (right hip), RB LeSean McCoy (hamstring), TE Logan Thomas (hamstring).
- Did not practice: CB Ryan Lewis (concussion).
- Game-day status: Lewis has been ruled out, while Hauschka, Ivory, McCoy, and Thomas are questionable. Anderson and Croom are expected to play.
Detroit Lions
- Limited participant: LB Trevor Bates (ankle), FB Nick Bellore (ankle), CB Marcus Cooper (back), T Taylor Decker (shoulder), LB Devon Kennard (hip), QB Matthew Stafford (back).
- Did not practice: WR Bruce Ellington (hamstring), DL Da’Shawn Hand (knee), RB Kerryon Johnson (knee), T Rick Wagner (concussion), S Charles Washington (hamstring).
- Game-day status: Ellington, Hand, Johnson, Wagner, and Washington have been ruled out. Bates, Bellore, Cooper, Decker, Kennard, and Stafford are questionable.