(Possibly) THE Preview.

Alright folks. Get your popcorn, beer, soda, candy canes, whatever you need to watch good football. We have a potential Super Bowl matchup this week. I repeat, we have a potential Super Bowl matchup this week. I am excited because arguably the two best teams in the entire league will be playing in the regular season. It’s always so much fun getting to see it. Let’s just hope the game delivers and isn’t ruined by a million penalties. So, what do we have? On one side, you have the Lions, who are the second-best offensive team in the league, scoring a league high 32 points a game. They’ve got Jared Goff, who is also playing at an MVP level this season and I believe should be up for consideration. They’ve got an endless supply of weapons, and endless supply of effective playcalls, and they’re led by a coach with more gumption than anyone else in the league. Players included. (He must walk around with a wheelbarrow.) They find ways to win games, close or not, and while their only hinderance has been their defense, they seem to blow by enough teams to win most of their games handily. Let’s pause right here and compare the parallels, and check back after.

Buffalo, who are 10th in overall offense and second in the league behind the Lions in average points a game, with 31, are led by Josh Allen and Sean McDermott. And they have just been putting up an offensive masterclass this year. Remember how I said Goff was in the MVP race? Well, the guy he’d be facing in that battle would be Josh Allen. Allen is good enough to elevate the whole team, and he has even after losing star wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Texans. Other guys like Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid have stepped up this year, and on top of having an incredible running back in James Cook, they know how to use what they have. Allen has spread the ball to 13 different receivers this year and they have three different running backs playing every game. This is all before Allen’s rushing yards, which he is second on his team in rushing yards with 416 and 9 TDs. These guys know how to play football every week.

So, circling back, we have a dead-even matchup between two powerhouse offenses, who have a tougher time on defense. Detroit is going to come into this game with the intention of controlling time of possession, who have averaged over 36 minutes in their last three games. If you’re the Bills, look to limit Detroit’s time of possession and be ready to put up points. We may have a rematch of the Bills vs. Rams from a scoring standpoint. This game is an absolute toss up, but if I had to choose a side, I’m thinking that Josh Allen may be a little too hot right now and take over the game again. So, I’ll say Bills, but seriously, it could go either way.

POSTGAME:

Looking back at this game, I realized that there was a clear storyline in my eyes. We had two really good teams, one who just came off a close loss, and another who just came off a close win. I picked the Bills, so I’m safe, but there was just no way the Bills were going to lose two in a row. That’s the kind of team they are right now. And they did exactly that, running up the score on a Lions defense that proves to be weaker. The Bills looked fantastic. Josh Allen is one of, if not the best playmaker in the game right now. He just puts his team on the back, is calm, and leads his team to victory. He was 23/34 for 362 yards and 2 TDs, plus 2 rushing TDs (of course.) Ty Johnson had a huge day, tallying 114 receiving yards, and showing again that Buffalo believes in ALL of their guys.

For the Lions, there is some concern. Not about the loss, as I truly think it will make them better, but for two reasons. One, they are running thin. They have sustained so many injuries, and maybe just lost three starters for the rest of the season. DT Alim McNeil (knee), CB Carlton Davis (knee), and DB Khalil Dorsey (leg.) They need to fill some holes quickly with the depth they have, or their dreamy season may end in nightmarish fashion. The next issue I have is with Dan Campbell. I love Campbell, he’s the heartbeat and leader of this team with guts unlike anyone else. But we are starting to cross questionable territory. Down 10, with 12 minutes left in the 4th quarter, you go for an onside kick? I’m sorry, but horrible decision that may have cost them the game. Not the sole reason, as their defense gave up points left and right, but a big one. I hope Campbell and the Lions learn from this, because I’m all for aggressiveness, but not like that.