DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Lions knew they had a lot of things to fix after Sunday's 31-30 overtime win over the New Orleans Saints.
They also knew they didn't have time to fix them before playing on Thursday against the Buffalo Bills — a game they lost 41-31.
Now, Dan Campbell is hoping to solve two games worth of issues before the Lions play again on Sept. 27 against the New York Jets.
“With a short week, we know we can't really make all the adjustments that we need right now,” Campbell said after his team survived two Saints plays that would have won the game. “After we play Buffalo, we're going to be making two weeks worth of fixes.”
It's a long list. Since taking a 21-0 lead early in the third quarter against New Orleans, the Lions have been outscored 71-41. It could have been worse — Buffalo led 21-0 in the second quarter and scored six touchdowns on their first seven drives.
“We stalled out early, and that hurt us,” Campbell said. “You're down three scores and, really, we haven't done anything offensively. So we needed a lot of help to come on offense to be able to answer back, and we fell short.”
Lions quarterback Jared Goff agreed. He threw for 327 yards and four touchdowns without turning the ball over, but the slow start meant Detroit never got back within one score.
The Lions also struggled in the first half against the Saints, only leading 7-0 before two turnovers by Tyler Shough led to 14 quick points at the start of the second half.
“I think for the last two games, really, we’ve had good moments, but I think we need to really understand that we need to start good,” Goff said. “We need to start on that momentum and ignite some of those plays in the first drive and not allow ourselves to get in these holes.”
Of course, it is hard to blame the offense on a night where Josh Allen tore Detroit's defense to shreds. He put up five touchdowns — three passing and two running — and more than 350 yards of offense. When the Bills decided to run the ball in the second half with the lead, James Cook III added 135 yards and a touchdown.
“We knew we were going to give up some plays to (Allen) — we can live with that,” Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson said. “But we've got to be able to stop the running back. That's what we have to do.”
That didn't happen against Buffalo, and the Lions have nine days to fix it before New York arrives.
Goff has 533 yards passing and six touchdowns in the first two games of the season without a turnover. As usual, Amon-Ra St. Brown has done much of the damage, catching 19 passes for 209 yards and four touchdowns, but tight end Sam LaPorta and running back Jahmyr Gibbs each have 11 catches.
The Lions started the season with both starting safeties — Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph — on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, meaning they will miss at least the first four games. Without them, the Lions have given up 658 passing yards and six touchdowns to Shough and Allen.
Things got worse against Buffalo, as replacement starter Avonte Maddox missed the second half with a foot injury and left the stadium on crutches and in a walking boot.
"Maddox is pretty tough, so when he didn’t come back, that makes me nervous,” Campbell said. “But I won’t know (the full extent of the injury) until Tuesday.”
The Lions offense badly missed LaPorta when he was limited to nine games last year by a back injury, but he's made 11 catches for 100 yards in the first two games of 2026.
His average catch has only come 3.6 yards downfield, but he has added another 5.5 yards after the catch.
Detroit is down three starting offensive linemen — center Cade Mays is on injured reserve, while guard Christian Mahogany and tackle Blake Miller got hurt against the Saints — and the Bills took advantage. Goff was sacked four times while Gibbs only gained 52 yards on 16 carries.
With the extra rest before playing the Jets, Campbell is hoping to have Mahogany and Miller back in the lineup, but Maddox missing games would be a massive problem. Chuck Clark would probably move into the starting lineup, but he's already playing most defensive snaps as a fifth defensive back, so they would have to move someone into that role.
7.2 — the number of yards Allen averaged on 44 touches. That's fewer than the last time they faced him, when he averaged 9.8 yards on 44 touches in a 45-41 Bills win, but it will be tough for the Lions to win many games if quarterbacks keep slashing them to pieces.
Use the time off to find reinforcements for the offensive line and secondary — either by getting injured players back onto the field or with players off the current 53-man roster.
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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) scores a rushing touchdown as Detroit Lions' Levi Onwuzurike defends during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Detroit Lions free safety Avonte Maddox (29) is helped off the field after being injured against the Buffalo Bills during the first half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) celebrates his rushing touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes )
