The Detroit Lions have a big positive going into their game with the Buffalo Bills that not a lot of people are discussing.
The Detroit Lions are narrowing in on one of the most important games of the season: a Sunday, November 15, matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Josh Allen and the Bills are 10-3 and considered one of the strongest forces in the AFC this season. Jared Goff and the Lions are 11-1 and one of the top, if not the top, team in the NFC. The game is crucial to both teams, and both will pull out all the stops to win.
While a lot of focus will rest on the Lions’ defense and how it works to contain Allen, a key to Detroit winning will obviously also be the Lions’ offense. Thankfully, the Lions may have a plus heading into the matchup.
Detroit Lions’ Running Back Duo is a Winner
In a December 13 feature for SideLion Report, NFL analyst and expert Brad Berreman notes that the Lions’ running back duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, playfully referred to as “Sonic and Knuckles,” could give Detroit an edge against the Bills, especially coupled with quarterback Jared Goff.
“In a broad sense, the ground game will be important for the Lions on Sunday as they look to keep Josh Allen and the Bills’ offense off the field. Montgomery and Gibbs will of course be the driving forces on that front,” Berreman stated. However, he added that going beyond just the run game, Detroit’s duo of Montgomery and Gibbs has a “matchup advantage against Buffalo’s defense that offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has surely uncovered in shaping his game plan.”
Berreman also noted that Buffalo, heading into Week 15, is allowing the most receptions at 74, most targets at 95 and the third-most receiving yards at 579 to running backs for this season.
“We know what Gibbs brings to the table as a pass catcher, however underutilized he seems to be in that area at times,” Berreman added. “As much as it would be nice to see Gibbs get more targets, Montgomery has been fantastic as a pass catcher this year.”
Berreman also said that the Lions’ ground game will have a “rebound day” against the Bills and that “the huge vulnerability the Bills’ defense has covering running backs is impossible to ignore, and it surely will not be with the two weapons the Lions have in the backfield.”
Buffalo Bills Miss Practice Due to Snow
Heading into the Bills game, one could say the Lions have another plus in the fact the Bills had to miss one practice this week due to a snowstorm in the Buffalo area. But, head coach Dan Campbell doesn’t see it that way.
“I don’t put anything into that,” Campbell said Friday, December 13, speaking to press. “I mean, I think one day in Covid, I don’t even know if we practiced at New Orleans one week and we went out and put up 30. I don’t know what that was, but no, I put nothing into that. That team will be ready. So, all good.”
The Bills were forced to call off practice and held virtual meetings Thursday, December 13, following a travel ban in the area. Orchard Park, the area where the Bills practice, got roughly 30 inches of snow in some parts.
