The Buffalo Bills suffered a second-straight setback against the Houston Texans on Sunday, dropping them to 2-2 amidst a season that has seem them look dangerous at times and futile at other times. They’ll have a tough game up next when they pay a visit to the Detroit Lions who have won two in a row after defeating the Jets on the road on Sunday.
Are the Bills up to the task in Week 5? Or will Detroit make it three-straight come Sunday afternoon? Read on for a complete preview of this game and check out our preview of the huge Arizona Cardinals vs. Denver Broncos game coming our way Sunday afternoon.
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Buffalo Bills vs. Detroit Lions Preview
Where: Ford Field, Detroit
When: Sunday, October 5, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Buffalo Bills (+7) at Detroit Lions (-7); total 44.5 – view all NFL lines
Betting on the Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills’ promising young passing combo of quarterback EJ Manuel and rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins failed to deliver in a 23-17 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday. The Bills have now lost two games in a row.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Aside from an excellent Week 2 (eight catches for 117 yards and a score), Watkins has disappointed thus far. He only had four catches for 30 yards and a touchdown in Houston and a 19-yard performance against San Diego the week before. He has also dropped a number of catchable balls.
However, most of Watkins struggles can be attributed to the underwhelming play of his quarterback. Manuel has struggled with his accuracy, his completion rate dropping in each of the Bills’ four games this season. Against Houston, Manuel completed only 47.7 percent of his passes for 5.11 yards per attempt. He did have two touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions.
On Monday, head coach Doug Marrone made a big decision to bench the second-year quarterback in favor of journeyman Kyle Orton. The veteran Orton will be making his first start since a 24-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on December 29 as a Dallas Cowboy. He completed 65.2 percent of his passes for 358 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in that game.
While Orton may not be a superstar, his 58.5 percent career completion rate may give the Bills’ receivers a better chance at making plays, and allow the offense to stay in the game long enough to bring their lethal run game to bear. Orton will need to come in at the top of his game against a Lions defense that allows only 186.5 yards per game.
With the Bills transitioning to a new starting quarterback, expect them to rely more on the run. The Bills have averaged 122.2 rushing yards per game powered by running backs CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson who combine for 4.4 yards per carry.
Detroit’s defense has allowed only 80.8 rushing yards per game, as the punishing inside combo of Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley has made it near impossible to get anything going up the middle. For that reason, this could be an important game for CJ Spiller, who excels in the screen game and on dump passes, and could make some plays outside of Suh and Fairley’s primary areas of the field.
The total has gone under in all four of the Bills’ games this season.
Betting on the Detroit Lions
Despite wide receiver Calvin Johnson being slowed by an ankle injury, Matthew Stafford still had a lot of options to open up his passing game in a 24-17 win over the Jets on Sunday. Stafford connected with eight different receivers to finish with 293 yards and two touchdowns, even with Megatron on the sidelines for most of the game.
With Megatron nursing an ankle injury, offseason signing Golden Tate can more than pick up the slack. His eight catches for 116 yards on 10 targets against the Jets make him a viable No. 1 receiver for the time being. Stafford and Tate should be able to connect on a few big plays against Buffalo’s pass defense which allows 266.2 yards per game.
However, Tate isn’t the only option among Detroit’s receiving corps. Factor in backups wide receiver Jeremy Ross and tight end Eric Ebron, who each caught touchdown passes against the Jets, and the Lions should gain considerable yardage in the air.
On the other side of the ball, cornerback Darius Slay had a big game against the Jets with a 40-yard interception return. Meanwhile, strong safety James Ihedigbo had a strip sack on New York’s next possession. The two should be able to pressure Kyle Orton effectively, especially if the Bills fall behind and have to move away from their rushing game.
The Lions have won both their home games so far this season, and are 3-1 ATS this season.
Writer’s Prediction
The Detroit Lions’ receivers trample all over Buffalo’s secondary. Take the Lions to win and cover -7 with ease. Create a betting account now and cash in on all the exciting football action.
