The Buffalo Bills’ 2024 season has been written. So let’s add some “illustrations!” If you’re new to Plays That Defined, this isn’t a highlight recap, but rather a cathartic retelling of the past season, chapter by chapter.
Don’t vote for your favorite play necessarily, vote for the one that best represents that game’s narrative. I’ll recap the game to refresh your memory, but don’t feel locked in by my narrative.
Chapter 15: Buffalo Bills at Detroit Lions
After losing a shootout to the Los Angeles Rams, the Bills found themselves on the right side of an incredibly high-scoring game. Looking at the box score, you might think that both offenses were unstoppable. While true much of the day, early successes on defense set Buffalo up to take an early lead and set the tone.
As a matter of fact, the game only had a single lead change; when the 0-0 tie to start the contest tipped to the Bills’ favor with their first touchdown. While Detroit got the game within one-score a couple times, most of their day was firmly in Buffalo’s rearview. The final score doesn’t reveal that the proximity of the scores came with 12 seconds to go. Not impossible to find another touchdown, but also not very likely.
Early stop (Q1; 8:43)
On paper, the Bills’ defense had a terrible day, allowing 42 points. In totality that’s hard to argue but the defense completely shut down the Lions’ first two drives, allowing the offense to pull ahead and never look back. This strip sack by defensive tackle Ed Oliver stopped drive number two for the Lions.
James Cook’s 41-yard touchdown (Q3; 13:20)
I could have crashed your browser just making touchdown GIFs but elected to try and stick to one touchdown per team as the “scoring surrogate.” For the Bills, if you go back and look at the scoring plays there’s this odd sense of ease as they float into the end zone. Even with the hair pull on this one, James Cook still displayed the seeming inevitability of a Bills scoring play.
The turnover (Q3; 5:17)
This was the only turnover of the game and came when things were certainly not in hand for Buffalo. The pass to wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown looked quite promising until cornerback Christian Benford dislodged the ball, and linebacker Matt Milano picked it up. I suggested above that the game was a little less close than the one-score outcome suggests and this stop was a major reason why. On a day where both teams scored plenty, each stop was amplified.
Lions’ long touchdown (Q3; 1:52)
It wasn’t any easier selecting a Lions touchdown as a surrogate, but I ultimately went with their best. The 66-yard pass to St. Brown was the longest of the day for either team. Contrasting the Bills’ scores, there was a sense of effort on the part of the Lions, with each point an uphill battle.
The ball placement here had nearly zero room for error and St. Brown needed to avoid the quick tackle and take the angle to beat a few others to make this highlight-reel play. Let no one claim that Detroit didn’t put in the effort in this game, with an incredible number of effort performances to go toe-to-toe with Buffalo.
Onside kick (Q4; 12:00)
Further evidence to the above comes from the number haymakers the Lions tried to throw toward the Bills. With 12 minutes to play and down by 10, Detroit chose to try an onside kick. Personally I loved the decision as neither team seemed able to stop the other’s offense. Trying to steal a possession in an attempt to eat into the 10-point deficit at this point in the game seemed wise, though in most games you might argue this was premature.
In addition to this onside kick, Detroit scored on a big-man touchdown when they declared an extra offensive lineman eligible and actually threw him the ball. They went for it on fourth down three times. While two occurred late in the game, a 4th & 4 in the first half was a roll of the dice that didn’t seem needed.
For the record they converted all three, but the narrative I’m trying to establish is that although the final score was close, it was evident that the Lions threw everything and the kitchen sink to try and take down the Bills, which is a testament to the respect Buffalo commands.
Negated TD (Q4; 2:55)
I said I tried to stick to one touchdown per team and I did. This technically was negated due to penalty. Why include a play that didn’t actually even count? This series is all about the story. While the score is certainly the most important part of the game’s outcome, the story in this game (to me at least) is how far apart the two teams were despite the one-score ending. The Lions’ seemed to be fighting an uphill battle, which stands in contrast to this this play. The casual toss for an easy score was only stopped by the Bills themselves.
Poll
Which play best illustrates the Bills shootout win over the Lions?
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Early stop
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James Cook touchdown
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The turnover
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Lions long touchdown
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Onside kick
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Negated touchdown
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