Two offenses already running hot in September
Ten plays of 15 yards or more. Two punts. That was Buffalo’s night in Houston, and it came against the best pass rush in the league.
The Bills host Detroit on Thursday night at Highmark Stadium with that performance still fresh. Josh Allen went 20 of 29 for 334 yards in Week 1, an average of 11.5 yards per attempt, and scored four times, twice with his arm and twice with his legs. Buffalo won 36-31.
Detroit was not exactly quiet either. Jahmyr Gibbs took a career-high 29 carries for 156 yards and two scores, finishing with 186 yards from scrimmage. The Lions piled up 369 yards, led 21-0, and still needed overtime to survive the Saints 31-30.
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Kerby Joseph’s 16 interceptions are watching from the sideline
Dan Campbell’s headache sits in the secondary. Joseph, the NFL’s most productive ball hawk since 2023, is out after knee surgery. Brian Branch is nine months into an Achilles rehab. Week 5 is the realistic target for both.
Tyler Shough went at that group on Sunday and threw for 410 yards with three touchdowns, a career best and the biggest number anyone posted in Week 1. Much of it came out of no-huddle. Allen lives there.
“That’s the challenge of a short week,” Campbell said. He was less measured about the quarterback across from him: “I can’t say enough about that quarterback. He’s the guy driving them forward.” Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard offered his own warning about Jared Goff, who has been operating at a very high level for a long stretch now.
The 2024 meeting ended 48-42
These two last met in a game that produced more points than any other that season. Allen threw four touchdowns and accounted for 430 yards of offense by himself.
Injury notes before kickoff: Ben Bartch starts at left guard for Detroit, and cornerback D.J. Reed landed on the report Tuesday. Buffalo rested T.J. Sanders, while Ty Johnson, Terrel Bernard and Cole Bishop were limited.
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