The Buffalo Bills (5-9) earned a gritty win over the Detroit Lions (5-9) by the score of 14-13 Sunday afternoon at New Era Field, and we at Billieve: a Buffalo Bills Fan Podcast came away impressed with many aspects of Buffalo’s Week 15 victory.
The game was the second career fourth-quarter comeback victory for rookie Josh Allen, who won a game with his arm on a day when the Lions did a good job containing his scrambling.
What else was there to like from the win? Where do the Bills still need to improve over the final two games of the regular season? Check out our podcast to find out our thoughts!
Host John Boccacino was joined by Matt Warren, editor-in-chief of Buffalo Rumblings, to break down the win as Buffalo improved to 3-4 in home games this year.
Our podcasters talked about the continued progress of Allen, who completed 13 of 26 passes for 204 yards with a long touchdown pass to fellow rookie Robert Foster. While the numbers aren’t great on the surface, Allen didn’t force his throws and did a great job protecting the football. His 42-yard fourth-quarter touchdown strike to Foster was a perfect throw, and proved to be the game-winning points as the Bills earned their second one-point win of 2018.
On a day when the Lions did a good job containing Allen’s scrambling (he did record his sixth rushing touchdown and finished with 16 rushing yards on ten carries, Allen completed the big throws when called upon, including a 25-yard toss to Jason Croom late in the fourth to seal the win.
Foster produced the third 100-yard game of his young career, finishing with 108 yards on four catches (a gaudy 27 yards per catch). His play made up for another drop-filled effort from the Bills’ receivers, especially Zay Jones, who finished with only one catch for 11 yards (with several drops) on six targets.
The makeshift offensive line, which at one point featured rookie Ike Boettger at right guard, struggled to open many holes for the running game, which by the end of the game was down to zero healthy backs. The line’s struggles make what Keith Ford (14 carries for 46 yards) and Marcus Murphy (11 carries for 35 yards) accomplished even more impressive.
Defensively, it was another stout performance from Buffalo, which didn’t record a sack against Matthew Stafford but still managed to apply plenty of pressure. Safety Jordan Poyer (game-high 11 tackles) continued his strong season, making impressive tackles on back-to-back plays on the Lions’ final drive to force Detroit to punt on its final possession.
Cornerback Tre’Davious White had another rare bad effort (at least in the first half) as Kenny Golladay had 115 receiving yards by halftime. But this unit rebounded after the break and the defense did a good job in general, holding the Lions to 38 percent on third down.
The Bills (for once) were the beneficiaries of a pair of special teams blunders, as the Lions botched an extra point before Matt Prater pushed what would have been the go-ahead 48-yard field goal wide right in the fourth quarter.
Check out the the latest Billieve: a Buffalo Bills Fan Podcast for a complete Week 15 recap!
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