Rapid Rewind: No. 1 seed in jeopardy after Buffalo Bills stampede Detroit Lions, 48-42

Bills quarterback Josh Allen solidified his status as MVP frontrunner with 362 passing yards and four total touchdowns in the victory.

Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen skips into the end zone for his second rushing touchdown of the game. (Getty Images)

Detroit — After holding up against a season’s worth of adversity, the dam finally broke for the Detroit Lions defense.

Led by MVP frontrunner Josh Allen, the Buffalo Bills overwhelmed the Lions Sunday at Ford Field. Scoring touchdowns with their first three possessions and racking up a season-high in points, the Bills stampeded to a 48-42 victory in what many viewed as a potential Super Bowl preview.

Coming off a six-touchdown performance in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams last week, Allen scored twice on the ground in the first quarter. He would go on to throw two more touchdowns, part of a 362-yard passing effort.

Detroit fought to the bitter end with quarterback Jared Goff throwing his fifth touchdown of the game with 12 seconds remaining, but the Lions couldn’t secure the ensuing onside kick.

The loss snapped Detroit’s franchise-record winning streak at 11 games and dropped them into a tie with Philadelphia for the best record in the NFC at 12-2 after the Eagles topped the Steelers on Sunday.

The Minnesota Vikings can also draw even with the Lions in the conference and NFC North division by beating the Chicago Bears on Monday night.

Game ball

Allen lived up to the hype he’s generated this season, extending multiple plays, doing damage with both his arm and his feet and avoiding a costly turnover.

Scoring summary

First quarter

● 10:56 — A former Lions draft pick, running back Ty Johnson, delivered a 33-yard grab on a wheel route and another 24-yard catch on a broken play to set up a 1-yard touchdown plunge for Allen. BILLS 7, LIONS 0

● 2:01 — Two drives, two touchdowns for the Bills. Allen continued to be a nightmare, avoiding pressure, rolling left and finding running back James Cook for a 28-yard reception to open the possession. The QB completed all three of his passes during the series and ran twice, including a 4-yard designed keeper for his second touchdown of the game. BILLS 14, LIONS 0

Second quarter

● 13:36 — Overcoming an ominous start when Jahmyr Gibbs was stopped for a loss, the dynamic running back racked up 35 yards with his next three touches, sandwiched around a double pass, with David Montgomery throwing it backward to Jared Goff before the QB unloaded downfield for a 24-yard gain to Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Facing third-and-9 at the 12-yard line, Goff’s pocket collapsed. The QB rolled right, drawing a defender to his scramble threat before dumping it off to receiver Tim Patrick along the right sideline. He was able to leap and extend the ball across the goal line, halving Detroit’s early deficit. BILLS 14, LIONS 7

● 8:15 — Detroit’s defense still hasn't found an answer for Allen. Despite a first-and-20 hole after a holding infraction, the Bills dug out with a 19-yard pass to tight end Dalton Kincaid.

The Lions had a chance for a stop near midfield, but on the fourth-and-2 snap, Allen found Johnson on another wheel route for 31 yards. With four catches for 95 yards through three drives, it marked a new career-high in receiving production for the back.

The Bills finished in the end zone with a similar design to their previous score, but instead of keeping it, Allen handed it off to Cook, who glided across the goal line after edge defender Al-Quadin Muhammad collapsed to pursue the QB. BILLS 21, LIONS 7

● 3:01 — Finding their own offensive rhythm, the Lions drove 70 yards in 10 plays for a much-needed counterpunch. Goff completed his first three throws for 42 yards and flashed some mobility with a 10-yard scramble around the left edge to convert third-and-long.

Two plays later, Goff found eligible offensive tackle Dan Skipper on a delayed release into the left flat for a 9-yard touchdown. It was the second reception, and first touchdown, of the veteran lineman’s career. BILLS 21, LIONS 14

Third quarter

● 13:11 — Four plays. That’s all the Bills needed coming out of the locker room. Fittingly, Johnson had another grab on a broken play, going over the century mark with the 19-yard reception. Two snaps later, Cook took a shotgun handoff going left behind a pulling lineman before cutting right in the second level and outrunning the remaining defenders for a 41-yard touchdown. BILLS 28, LIONS 14

● 3:31 — Taking over after a fumble, the Bills returned to the end zone with a snappy, five-play, 23-yard touchdown drive. Cook had a third-down conversion and receiver Khalil Shaker delivered the finishing touches, taking a tap pass while motioning through the backfield and dancing his way for the 3-yard score. BILLS 35, LIONS 14

● 1:41 — On a third-and-17 after a holding penalty, Goff feathered a deep ball to St. Brown between the layers of Buffalo’s zone defense. The receiver was able to keep his footing through a diving tackle attempt by Cam Lewis and outrun the rest of the defense for a 66-yard touchdown. BILLS 35, LIONS 21

Fourth quarter

● 14:02 — A 29-yard, third-down pass to Kincaid was all the Bills needed to get into range for a 50-yard Tyler Bass field goal. BILLS 38, LIONS 21

● 12:00 — With no time to waste, Goff completed five passes for 70 yards, capped by a 12-yard touchdown to Gibbs to slice Buffalo’s advantage to 10. BILLS 38, LIONS 28

● 11:51 — Desperate, the Lions attempted an onside kick, but the high-bouncing effort off the foot of Bates was fielded by receiver Mack Hollins and returned 37 yards to Detroit’s 5. On the first snap of the series, Allen rolled out and connected with rookie running back Ray Davis for a touchdown. BILLS 45, LIONS 28

● 8:02 — On life support, Goff kept the Lions afloat by completing another seven passes for 76 yards, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run for Gibbs. BILLS 45, LIONS 35

● 2:07 — The Bills were denied a touchdown when Allen’s chest pass under duress to Kincaid was wiped off the board by a holding penalty. Still, they were able to kill nearly six minutes off the game clock before settling for a 41-yard field goal from Bass. BILLS 48, LIONS 35

● 0:12 — Giving the team a chance to recover an onside kick and throw a Hail Mary, Goff led a rapid-fire, 16-play 70-yard touchdown drive that culminated with a short touchdown toss to Jameson Williams. BILLS 48, LIONS 42

Turnovers

● Down two touchdowns in the third quarter, Goff connected across the middle to St. Brown, but the receiver had the ball knocked free from his grasp by cornerback Christian Benford. The fumble was recovered by linebacker Matt Milano.

Key stats

● Goff threw for his most passing yards in a single game since being acquired by the Lions in a 2021 trade. He completed 38-of-59 for 494 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions in the loss.

● St. Brown set career-highs with 14 catches for 192 receiving yards, while tight end Sam LaPorta had the second 100-yard performance of his career, catching seven balls for 111 yards.

● The Lions were held to a season-low 48 rushing yards. Montgomery mustered just 4 yards on five carries, while Gibbs led the backfield with 31 yards on eight attempts.

● Safety Brian Branch paced the defense with a career-high 15 tackles, including two for a loss.

Notable

● With four receptions in the first half, St. Brown became the third receiver in NFL history to record 400 receptions in his first four seasons, joining Michael Thomas (470) and Jarvis Landry (400).

● St. Brown, Gibbs and Montgomery became the first trio in NFL history to each amass at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns in consecutive seasons.

● The Bills became the fifth team in NFL history, and the first since 2013, to score 30 or more points in eight consecutive games.

Injuries

● Cornerback Carlton Davis III exited early in the second quarter with a jaw injury after helping on a run stop. He also required a concussion evaluation after the play. He was ruled out after halftime due to the jaw.

● Backup cornerback and star special teamer Khalil Dorsey needed to be carted off the field late in the first half after suffering a gruesome ankle injury in a collision with teammate Ezekiel Turner.

● Defensive tackle Alim McNeill left with a knee injury in the third quarter and was quickly ruled out after he was carted to the locker room.

Inactives

The Lions made the following players inactive for the contest: Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, linebacker Trevor Nowaske, offensive tackle Giovanni Manu, defensive lineman Myles Adams, guard Kayode Awosika, offensive tackle Colby Sorsdal and defensive tackle Brodric Martin.

Nowaske had been ruled out on Friday with a concussion. The others were healthy scratches.

Next game

The Lions head on the road for the first time in a month to play the back half of their divisional series with the Chicago Bears. That game will take place at 1 p.m. next Sunday at Solider Field.