Three Reasons Bills Should be Leery of Lions on Thursday Night Football

Buffalo may be coming off a thrilling victory on Sunday, but the team must quickly shift focus toward Detroit before Thursday's opener in order to stay on track under Joe Brady.

Detroit Lions' defensive tackle Benito Jones (center) sacks Buffalo Bills' quarterback Josh Allen (17) during the second half of the Lions' 28-25 loss on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022, at Ford Field. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Buffalo Bills may have gotten the win on Sunday against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium, but the team wasn’t without its faults.

Yes, the victory marked Joe Brady’s first one in the regular season as a head coach in the National Football League, as well as Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen’s first time walking away with a win on Houston’s home turf, but there were plenty of near mishaps that almost wound up costing Buffalo the chance at gaining its current position in the divisional and conference standings heading into Week 2.

It’s early, but teams can never take wins for granted in the NFL. 

And, Bills Mafia doesn’t need to look any further than last year’s critical 23-20 loss to the New England Patriots by the Bills at home in Week 5 for evidence of that. It proved to be a devastating blow for Buffalo down the stretch. 

Despite high point total, Brady saw ‘smoke detectors’

Sep. 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Buffalo Bills' first-year head coach Joe Brady (center) stands on the sideline during the game against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brady and Allen know they must clean their act up on the offensive side of the ball despite putting up 36 points against one of the supposed top defensive units in the league on Sunday, and there’s no hiding from the unfortunate fact that new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard has plenty of work to do in order to alleviate any concerns about a unit that surrendered 31 points of its own to the Texans on opening day.

“Look, all three phases weren’t good enough,” Bills’ first-year head coach Joe Brady said at a press conference in Orchard Park.

“I think, sometimes when you look at a box score, you think it can paint a picture of a lot of things—that are either good or bad—but when you actually watch it, you know, there was a lot of ‘smoke detectors’ out there.” 

With that in mind, considering there’s a quick turnaround with Buffalo’s home opener at the new $2.2 billion Highmark Stadium against the Detroit Lions slated for Thursday night at 8:15 p.m. ET, there’s little wiggle room for any substantial changes to be made by kickoff time.

Aug. 15, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills' wide receiver D.J. Moore (2) runs with the ball after making a catch versus the Carolina Panthers during the first half of a preseason game at the new Highmark Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

So, there may still be a few hiccups leftover from Houston that pop up on the field for the Bills against the Lions.

What might those be? 

Well, here are three worrisome warts that must be removed in a hurry.

1. Bills’ Run Defense vs. Lions’ Rushing Offense

Detroit Lions' starting running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) is introduced to the crowd ahead of a game against the New Orleans Saints at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Much was made this offseason about the switch from former head coach Sean McDermott’s defense to Jim Leonhard’s new, innovative 3-4 scheme this fall.

Many supporters were adamant that, at the very least, Leonhard would be able to right the ship in terms of the woes involving the run defense over the years, if even only for the simple fact that Buffalo now has five defenders up at the line of scrimmage instead of four like in McDermott’s 4-3 alignment. 

But, if Sunday’s outing against the Texans is any indication of what’s to come the rest of the season for the Bills’ run defense, then the sentiment stated above will be more fiction than fact.

Buffalo allowed 124 yards on the ground against Houston, and while it was only on a 3.9 yard-per-carry basis, the more concerning part was how often the Bills allowed a run to leak out at an inopportune moment of a drive.

For example, backup running back Woody Marks was able to bust out four runs of at least 5 yards or more in the game, and he had three runs that extended drives for first downs, while starter David Montgomery, who finished with 60 yards and two touchdowns, had one run that crossed the goal line from 18 yards out once Houston was in the red zone.

Sep. 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans' running back Woody Marks (4) runs with the ball against the Buffalo Bills' during the second quarter at Reliant Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Keeping that in mind, the Bills’ run defense was leaky to say the least. And, it’s only going to get harder this Thursday evening as Lions’ starting running back Jahmyr Gibbs is coming off an incredible performance against the New Orleans Saints in Week 1 where he recorded 29 carries for 156 yards and two touchdowns, which was good for an average of 5.4 yards per carry.

And, in addition to also raking in five receptions for 30 yards in the victory over New Orleans, Gibbs astonishingly had 14 runs that went for first downs according to Pro Football Focus.

According to that same database, no other runner in the league had more than seven. So, without a doubt, this will be a huge area of concern heading into the highly-anticipated home opener.

Can the Bills overcome the hype and keep Gibbs in check on the ground? Or will he dash away with Buffalo’s dreams of a victory at the first game in its new home venue? 

2. Penalties need to cease vs. Detroit

Sep. 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Buffalo Bills' first-year head coach Joe Brady (right) reacts after a play against the Houston Texans during the first half at Reliant Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

At times, penalties were an issue while Sean McDermott was still the head coach in Western New York over the last nine seasons. 

And, heading into this fall, fans were curious how that might change under new head coach Joe Brady this season. But, after one game, it appears that the issue still might be an area of concern for Buffalo.

In their opening matchup with the Texans, the Bills were slapped with 10 penalties for 85 yards, which is undoubtedly something that Brady’s group will look to correct moving forward.

However, on a short week after flying home from Houston, Texas, just days ago, the question begs to be asked: will the penalty blemishes pop up again for the “Brady Bunch” at Highmark Stadium?

It’s definitely a possibility, especially considering Buffalo drew veteran referee Ron Torbert’s crew for the opener on Thursday night. 

Oct 3, 2021; Orchard Park, New York, USA; NFL referee Ron Torbert (62) has a discussion with side judge Keith Washington (7) in the third quarter of a past NFL game between the Buffalo Bills and the Houston Texans at the old Highmark Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports

Torbert and his fellow referees officiated the season-opening matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, which consisted of 15 penalties being called between the two teams for a total of 175 yards. 

The Chargers were called for seven of those infractions as the home team.

And, even more concerning than that is the sole fact that the Bills lost the only two games that Torbert’s crew officiated for the team in 2025.

In those contests, which were a 30-13 loss to Miami in Week 10 and a 13-12 loss to Philadelphia in Week 17, Buffalo was called for 10 combined penalties for a total of 107 yards.

Simply put, it could be a problem in primetime against the Lions.

3. Bills’ secondary must tighten up

Buffalo Bills' new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard (center) watches as the defense takes the field during first-half action of the Bills' preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Highmark Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Bills might possess the youngest defensive unit in the league in terms of the average age of every starter on their depth chart, but that shouldn’t be an excuse for the poor performance that Jim Leonhard’s players displayed on the field against the Texans.

If it weren’t for veteran outside linebacker Gregory Rousseau’s timely strip sack with mere seconds remaining in the game on Sunday, Bills’ fans might be humming a different tune heading into the opener at Highmark Stadium.

And, although the defense as a whole is a concern, the secondary’s seemingly soft coverage against Houston is what’s extremely worrisome.

Sep. 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans' wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson (19) runs with the ball after making a reception during the game against the Buffalo Bills at Reliant Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Buffalo made it a point to get more agile and fleet of foot amongst its defensive backs in 2026, which is evidenced by the aforementioned youthfulness, but for some reason that nimbleness didn’t show up on the field against the Texans despite a solid pass-rushing effort up front all game long.

Christian Benford, Maxwell Hairston, and Dee Alford all surrendered quite a bit of space throughout the game to the opposing receivers, and Alford in particular seemed to be the slowest of the starting trio.

With that said, it’ll be interesting to see how he and other players in the slot hold up against Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown (10 rec., 67 yds, 2 TDs), Sam LaPorta (5 rec., 48 yds), and Jameson Williams (4 rec., 45 yds), who all led the way for the Lions with 19 combined catches for a total of 160 yards and two touchdowns. 

Sep. 13, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions' wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) catches a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints during the third quarter at Ford Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Needless to say, those three playmakers will be a main focus for the secondary, and Alford will especially have his hands full with St. Brown.

If Buffalo’s starting nickel cornerback is unable to contain the Lions’ standout receiver in the slot, then it could be a LONG homecoming game for the Bills’ defense.

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