Lions head coach Dan Campbell saw a lot that his team needs to improve in Thursday night’s 41-31 loss to the Bills.
“We’ve got a lot of room to grow, and that’s encouraging,” Campbell said. “We’ve just got to clean up a lot of things on defense right now, particularly in the back end. . . . It wasn’t good enough.”
Campbell expressed optimism about the way the Lions can use their extra three days after playing on Thursday night to prepare for Week 3 against the Jets.
“It’s early, we’re in Week 2, we’ve got a long season, and the most important thing is that we get better,” Campbell said. “We just need to get better than we were today in all three phases. We need to play better against the Jets, and I think we will. We can, and we certainly will.”
Campbell credited Bills head coach Joe Brady for having his team ready to play.
“They got after us and we didn’t play good enough and we didn’t coach good enough. That falls on me,” Campbell said. “It certainly needed to be a lot cleaner than that.”
Bills Clips
Josh Allen made the first regular-season game in Highmark Stadium memorable for Bills fans.
The quarterback threw three touchdown passes and ran for two in a dominant 41-31 win over the Lions. The Bills improved to 2-0, while the Lions fell to 1-1.
Allen now has four career games with three touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns. No other player in NFL history has more than two (Kordell Stewart), according to NFL Researcher.
Allen completed 20 of 31 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns. His scoring tosses went for 43 yards to Josh Palmer, 1 yard to Dawson Knox and 16 yards to Dalton Kincaid. Palmer has two catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns this season, having caught the game-winning touchdown in the win over the Texans on Sunday.
Kincaid caught seven passes for a team-leading 95 yards.
The Bills lost wide receiver DJ Moore to a shoulder injury and a stinger in the first half.
Allen also ran for 69 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries, topped only by James Cook’s 21 carries for 135 yards. Cook scored the team’s last touchdown on a 1-yard run with 2:50 left to seal it.
The Bills outgained the Lions 446 to 355, were 5-for-5 in the red zone and went 9-of-12 on third down.
Buffalo scored touchdowns on its first four possessions and punted only twice all night.
The Lions, who blew a 21-0 lead to the Saints last week before winning in overtime, fell behind 21-0 and trailed 27-10 at halftime. They twice pulled to within 10 points when the game was still in reach, but Allen and the Bills answered twice.
Detroit’s last touchdown, which pulled it to within 10 again, came with 1:42 left as as Amon-Ra St. Brown scored his second touchdown. The Bills, though, recovered the onside kick.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff was 26-of-38 for 327 yards and four touchdowns after a slow start. Goff reached 40,000 yards in his 153rd game, the sixth-fastest for any quarterback.
St. Brown caught nine passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Jahmyr Gibbs had 16 carries for 52 yards and caught six passes for 61 yards and a touchdown.
Bills outside linebacker Greg Rousseau, who had two sacks and two forced fumbles in the season-opening win over the Texans on Sunday, had two sacks and a forced fumble against the Lions.
Josh Allen is a touchdown machine.
For the 10th time in his career, he has scored two or more rushing touchdowns and two or more passing touchdowns in the same game. His latest score came on the ground from two yards out, extending Buffalo’s lead over the Lions to 34-17.
Allen holds the record by a wide margin. In second place on the all-time two-and-two list is Hall of Famer Steve Young. He did it four times.
For the season, Allen has already accounted for nine touchdowns.
Barring a collapse, the Bills will move to 2-0 on the year, with a proper christening of their new stadium.
Bills wide receiver DJ Moore will not return tonight.
With extra time until their next game, the Bills will have to hope 10 days is long enough for Moore to heal.
Moore was injured with 2:56 remaining in the first half when he dove in the end zone for a pass from Josh Allen. The pass was incomplete, and Moore landed on his shoulder before Lions cornerback Rock Ya-Sin landed on top of him.
Moore is out with a shoulder injury and a stinger.
The Bills lead the Lions 34-17 after Josh Allen’s 2-yard touchdown run with 1:07 remaining in the third quarter. Allen has run for two touchdowns and thrown three others.
The Lions aren’t dead yet.
Detroit opened the second half with an 11-play, 74-yard touchdown drive, and now trail the Bills 27-17. The Lions were down 21-0 before Jared Goff hit Jahmyr Gibbs for an 11-yard touchdown. Jake Bates kicked a 31-yard field goal on the last play of the first half, and Goff found Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 2-yard touchdown with 9:29 left in the third quarter.
Goff is 18-of-24 for 198 yards and two touchdowns. He has thrown a touchdown in 25 consecutive games.
St. Brown has six catches for 70 yards and a touchdown.
The Bills have christened their new stadium with champagne and caviar on the field.
Josh Allen threw three touchdowns in the first half and ran for another, and the Bills are in the locker room at halftime with a 27-10 lead.
Almost everything went right for the Bills in the first half other than Tyler Bass missing an extra point, punting on their fourth possession and injuries to wide receivers DJ Moore and Keon Coleman. Moore is in the X-ray room being examined for a shoulder injury and a stinger, and Coleman returned after getting his right ankle taped on the sideline.
The Bills have outgained the Lions 299 to 155, scoring touchdowns on their first four possessions on drives of 85, 79, 57 and 68 yards.
Allen is 12-of-19 for 164 yards with three touchdowns on throws of 43 yards to Josh Palmer, 1 yard to Dawson Knox and 16 yards to Dalton Kincaid, The quarterback also has four carries for 40 yards and a touchdown.
James Cook already has 100 yards, rushing for 101 on 11 carries. Kincaid has five catches for 65 yards.
Jared Goff kept his streak of consecutive games with a touchdown alive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to running back Jahmyr Gibbs. It was the 25th game in a row Goff has thrown a TD pass. But it came with the Lions down 21-0.
Goff is 11-of-16 for 128 yards and a touchdown. He’s been sacked three times, including twice by Greg Rousseau, who is off to a great start this season. Gibbs has rushed for 47 yards on eight carries and has caught four passes for 40 yards.
Bills wide receiver DJ Moore was injured while diving for a Josh Allen pass in the end zone.
Moore is in the X-ray room for further evaluation after coming down hard on his left shoulder and then having Lions cornerback Rock Ya-Sin land on top of him.
The Bills list Moore as questionable to return with a shoulder injury and a possible stinger, according to Prime sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung.
The Bills scored on the next play, as Josh Allen connected with tight end Dalton Kincaid for a 16-yard touchdown. Tyler Bass missed the extra point wide left. The Bills lead 27-7 with 2:52 remaining in the second quarter.
It took long enough for Detroit to show up.
The Lions dug a huge hole they might not climb out of tonight, but they kept the dirt from being shoveled over them for now.
Detroit, which had seven plays for minus-1 yard on its first two possessions, drove 70 yards in 12 plays for a touchdown.
The Lions trail 21-7 after Jahmyr Gibbs’ 11-yard touchdown reception from Jared Goff and the extra point by Jake Bates.
Goff now has a touchdown pass in 25 consecutive games.
He is 6-of-7 for 57 yards and a touchdown.
The Bills are having a grand ol’ time in their new stadium.
Buffalo has scored three touchdowns on three possessions in the new Highmark Stadium, taking a 21-0 lead over the Lions.
The Bills have outgained the Lions 209 to 10, with three possessions to two.
Josh Allen threw his second touchdown, finding Dawson Knox for a 1-yard score. The quarterback had his choice whether to run it in or throw it to Knox. He took care of his tight end.
Allen scored on a 1-yard run on the Bills’ first possession and threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Josh Palmer on the second.
As if things weren’t bad enough for the Lions, defensive back Avonte Maddox was carted off the field in the second quarter. The team lists him as questionable to return with a foot injury.
Josh Palmer has only two catches this season. He also has 77 yards and two touchdowns.
Four days after catching the 34-yard game-winner against the Texans, the Bills wide receiver caught a 43-yard touchdown from Josh Allen with 3:42 remaining in the first quarter Thursday.
The Bills went 79 yards in eight plays.
The Bills, who have had two possessions to the Lions’ one, have outgained Detroit 159 to minus-5 and lead 14-0.
Josh Allen scored the team’s first touchdown on a 1-yard run. He threw the second.
Allen is 5-of-7 for 97 yards and a touchdown.
