The Buffalo Bills will play the Detroit Lions on the road at Ford Field in Week 15.
The Bills (10-3) are looking to bounce back from a loss to the Los Angeles Rams last week, while the Lions (12-1) are riding an 11-game win streak.
The Lions are favored by 2.5 points in Week 15. The two teams haven’t met since Thanksgiving Day in 2022 when the Bills won in dramatic fashion, 28-25.
The Lions are at the top of most power rankings ahead of Sunday. Buffalo will need to execute its game plan to pick up its eleventh win of the year.
With that, here are three keys to a Bills win in Week 15:
Attack the Lions’ man coverage
The Lions are a defense that stays true to who they are. According to Pro Football Focus, they currently rank first in the NFL in man coverage rate (42.4%) and dead last in zone coverage rate (53.2%). And, they rank in the top three in defensive success rate while in man coverage. They will line up man-to-man and make opposing receivers win their matchups.
Buffalo offensive coordinator Joe Brady has provided quarterback Josh Allen with simple looks to beat man coverage this year. If Allen can take advantage of the one-on-one matchups, it will be a long day for the Lions’ secondary. Look for Allen to lean on Amari Cooper against man, and if Keon Coleman (wrist) can play, he is usually a mismatch one-on-one with his athletic ability.
Better performance from the D-line
The Bills’ defensive line had a rough outing against the Rams They couldn’t generate a pass rush and they were getting pushed around against the run. They will need to step up considering their opponent. The Lions have arguably the best offensive line in football when healthy. Penei Sewell is their best player, as his 88.5 overall PFF grade leads all tackles this year.
Buffalo defensive coordinator Bobby Babich called out the defense following their lackluster performance in Week 14, saying it was a “conglomeration of people not doing their jobs at a high level.”
Babich did note that he has to be better, but it will be interesting to see how the defense responds in a tough environment at Ford Field.
Get out to a fast start
The Bills are 6-0 in home games this year, but just 4-3 on the road. And, it mostly boils down to the fact that they have put themselves in a hole early in away games. In five of the seven road games, the Bills fell behind early and had to claw back into the game. The only road games where they started fast were blowouts at the Miami Dolphins and Seattle Seahawks.
If the Bills can set the tone with some early stops on defense and scores on offense, it would be a huge momentum boost. Ford Field is a difficult environment to play in, and it would become much more difficult to play from behind.
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