THANKSGIVING DAY GAME 1: BUFFALO BILLS AT DETROIT LIONS

BY ADAM GREENE

First off, let me just say, no one wanted this. Well, scratch that. The Detroit Lions want this. They’re desperate to keep it so the NFL helped them out by sending the Buffalo Bills to Ford Field to open our Thanksgiving Day slate of games.

These two teams first faced off two years after the AFL-NFL merger and tied 21-21. They’ve only squared up 10 times since. The Bills lead the all time series 6-4-1. They last met on Dec. 16, 2018, with Buffalo winning an epic (if you want to completely redefine that word) game, 14-13.

Josh Allen finished 13 of 26 for 204 yards and a touchdown in the win. He added 16 yards and a TD on the ground. Keith Ford (a guy I had forgotten was in the NFL) rushed 14 times for 46 yards. Isaiah McKenzie caught six passes for 53 yards. Robert Foster (now with the New York Giants) hauled in four for 108 yards and a touchdown.

In the loss, Matthew Stafford (now with the Los Angeles Rams) went 22 of 29 for 208 yards and a touchdown. Theo Riddick (now out of the league) had eight carries for 47 yards. Kenny Golladay (now with the New York Giants…allegedly) had seven grabs for 146 yards.

BUFFALO BILLS AT DETROIT LIONS (-10, O/U: 54)

Location: Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.

Broadcast: CBS

Kickoff: Nov. 24, 12:30 p.m. EST

BUFFALO BILLS (7-3)

Buffalo halted a two game losing streak with a 31-23 victory over the Cleveland Browns, ironically, in Detroit, as their own stadium was obliterated by “Thunder Snow,” which is a real thing and not some new type of cocaine that Kid Rock commanded an intern to order off the dark web. Josh Allen didn’t exactly light it up against the Browns, finishing 18 of 27 for 197 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked twice. Devin Singletary had 18 carries for 86 yards and a TD. James Cooke had 11 rushes for 86 yards. Dawson Knox had seven grabs for 70 yards. Gabe Davis caught five for 68.

The defense sacked Jacoby Brissett once, forced a fumble and held Cleveland to just 80 yards on the ground.

DETROIT LIONS (4-6)

In spite of all the tombstones and obituaries written on the Lions season, last week they knocked off the favored New York Giants 31-18 to win their third consecutive game. Jared Goff ended his afternoon 17 for 26 for 165 yards. He was not sacked. Justin Jackson rushed nine times for 66 yards. Jamaal Williams had 17 carries for 64 yards and three touchdowns. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught seven passes for 76 yards.

The defense sacked Daniel Jones twice, picked him off twice, forced a fumble and held New York to just 89 total yards rushing.

THE PICK

I don’t think Josh Allen is 100 percent and Detroit probably isn’t the team you want to play when you’re banged up. But this is a nationally broadcast game and Allen seems to regularly show up in those. Bills 31, Lions 20

Last week

Straight up: 6-8

Against the spread: 5-9

Season

Straight up: 89-74-1

Against the spread: 86-78

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.

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