ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Jack Campbell, man of few words, was at a loss for them Thursday night. Most in the Lions locker room were.
The All-Pro linebacker's voice quivered as he thought about his own performance. He kept it together, but he doesn't typically display that sort of emotion. He thought about letting the offense down. About how things got away so quickly. He said to put it on him. You certainly can. It's about as bad a game as you'll see him play.
Or you could put the Lions' 41-31 loss to the Bills on the defense as a whole.
Because, collectively, they all struggled to answer for what went down in Buffalo.
"It's just -- it's not acceptable," Campbell said. "It's not acceptable."
On most nights, but especially this night, it wasn't. The effort we saw from Detroit's defense was among the worst of the Dan Campbell era. They allowed 41 points and 446 yards of offense. They forced the Bills to punt twice. It's the type of performance that changes expectations for this team until further notice. Because this can't happen.
Where should we begin? Plenty of options to choose from. The coin toss is a good start. When the official announced the Bills won, you could see Bills coach Joe Brady licking his chops from the press box. The Bills, of course, elected to receive. Probably not a decision made on the spot.
This was one of those games in which the script revealed itself in the opening minutes. Josh Allen did Josh Allen things. He extended plays with his legs, escaping the pocket and finishing with 40 rushing yards on the opening drive alone. Buffalo's vaunted offensive line -- something these Lions once boasted -- created lanes for running back James Cook. In what felt like the blink of an eye, Buffalo was in the end zone. Then again. Then again. Then again.
Thousands in attendance here witnessed the first-ever game at Highmark Stadium. Included in the price of admission, evidently, was a thorough dismantling of the Lions' defense. The Bills scored touchdowns on their first four drives of the night. First it was Allen, capping off the initial drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Next was Joshua Palmer, courtesy of a 43-yard coverage-bust score. You'd have to squint to find the nearest defender on the broadcast. A miscommunication by Avonte Maddox and Roger McCreary led to that walk-in touchdown.
Later, it was time for the tight ends to get involved. One to Dawson Knox, then one for Dalton Kincaid. The bleeding finally stopped with less than a minute to go in the first half. That's when the Bills punted for the very first time.
But by then, the damage was done.
The Bills did it any way they wanted. We saw heavy doses of 12 and 13 personnel -- groupings that include two and three tight ends. Those accounted for 59.4 percent of the Bills' offensive snaps, per TruMedia. Turns out, when you combine their offensive line with more protection, skilled tight ends who can do anything asked of them on a given snap, one of the best running backs in the league and an alien at quarterback, good things happen. The Bills averaged 6.1 yards per rush and 4.64 yards before contact in such looks.
How about the blitz? Per Next Gen Stats, the Lions blitzed Allen on 55.3 percent of his dropbacks in Week 2 -- the highest blitz rate we've seen with defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard calling plays. Allen, of course, is one of the best QBs in football against the blitz. He was 12-of-17 for 137 yards and two touchdowns through the air when the Lions brought it.
And then, even when the Lions bottled things up, Allen can still frustrate with his legs. Off scrambles, per Next Gen Stats, Allen totaled 49 rushing yards and a touchdown. Ho-hum.
But if you ask defensive players for their assessment, they'll tell you the Bills didn't do anything they didn't expect. They'll tell you to put it on them.
Those blitzes? Simply weren't effective. Those explosive runs? Campbell and the linebackers had a handful of poor run fits and edge rushers didn't contain the pocket. That coverage bust touchdown? Bad communication. Not to mention penalty after penalty.
Per early TruMedia returns, Buffalo's offensive success rate of 59.5 percent is the highest recorded in a single game against the Lions since Campbell became their coach in 2021. Detroit allowed the 41 points and 446 total yards on 6.5 yards per play. Buffalo recorded 34 first downs and converted 75 percent of its third-down attempts. Allen was 20-of-31 for 248 yards, three passing touchdowns and no interceptions, and added 69 yards and two rushing scores. Cook finished with 135 yards and a touchdown. Allen was sacked just twice for a loss of five total yards. Buffalo rushed for 203 yards -- something Lions defenders will tell you hurt them the most.
In the last six quarters, the Lions have allowed 65 points. If you include the overtime period versus the Saints in Week 1, it brings the total to 71. Through two games, they've allowed an average of 35.5 points and 458.5 yards.
As Campbell said earlier, it's not acceptable. His teammates agree.
"They got after us today," Aidan Hutchinson said. "That was not good enough. Things will definitely be changing. I don't know what that is necessarily, but I know there will be change because we're not gonna keep banging our head against the wall."
Of course, some of this was to be expected. If the Bills put up 36 against Will Anderson, Danielle Hunter, Derek Stingley Jr. and the Houston Texans, the Lions were always going to run into problems. But it's more a matter of how it happened -- or rather, how easy it was.
Detroit's offense, down three starters along its offensive line, showed far more fight, albeit in a losing effort. The game script required a shootout, and the Lions were slow to pull the trigger. They began the game with a three-and-out and a four-and-out. By the time they took the field for their third possession, they were down 21-0. The Lions picked things up in the second half, but it was too little, too late. A couple more stops and this might've been a game.
It never felt like one, because of the defense.
"We were on our heels for majority of the game," Hutchinson said. "We only got one or two stops, so it was bad, man. … Especially our offense fighting in the second half, I think we all came into the second half ready mentally, coming in to fight. And we didn't get it done."
"I just know what everyone puts into it, and I feel like it's my job to go out there and play at the highest level and the highest standard," Campbell said. "… You just feel like you're letting your teammates down, honestly, and that's what it is."
So then, how do they fix this? Not playing against Allen is a good start, sure. They'll get Geno Smith and the Jets next, then Bryce Young and the Panthers, then Jacoby Brissett and the Cardinals. Not exactly daunting. Then again, those quarterbacks could say the same of this defense.
Blitzing simply to blitz, at the highest rate we've seen from Sheppard, isn't an answer. Hoping for the best with a secondary that was an obvious question mark coming into the season isn't an answer. Counting on two All-Pro-caliber safeties -- Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch -- to immediately return to their pre-injury standards isn't either.
For the Lions, it'll start with their own efforts. Their best defenders can play better than this. And for as good as the Bills looked, much of the damage was self-inflicted. Uncharacteristic missed run fits, edge rushers too focused on sacks, poorly timed penalties and more. If the Lions address those issues, it'll be a good start. They're 1-1 and have a favorable upcoming schedule that allows for a bounce-back if they take care of business. Emphasis on if.
In the end, words from Lions players in the locker room didn't tell us as much as the game did.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
