Lions Defense Struggles as Thursday Night Football Heats Up

Thursday Night Football returns and we are ready to bet on another NFL week. Week 1 was acceptable, yet as details emerge, bigger and better plays should surface for our wagers. Thursday night games have improved significantly over the years. Previously, these contests often featured bad teams that barely mattered. Now, the matchup between the Lions and Bills looks like a great game.

The Detroit Lions make things difficult for themselves? They are 1-0 after an odd victory in Week 1, which beats half the league. The Lions led by 21 points in the third quarter before letting the Saints march back to tie it. Overtime arrived where Detroit looked strong on offense. They faced a fourth down chance to end the game but failed as the Saints converted.

The Lions' defense remains a major issue because they could not get off the field when needed. They did stop the two-point conversion that would have cost them the win. The Saints played slow even while Detroit struggled. That is my biggest concern about this team overall. On offense, Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown looked great, both scoring two touchdowns.

LIONS AVOID FRANCHISE-WORST COLLAPSE AS DEFENSE STOPS SAINTS TWO-POINT CONVERSION IN OT

The Buffalo Bills do not take the easy way out either. It feels like they watch Josh Allen and say try to beat us but keep him from winning on fourth down. Sometimes it fails, never in the postseason. This strategy seems to bring double-digit wins each year. The Bills defeated the Texans 36-31 to open their season.

THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW! Houston fielded what was expected to be one of the best defenses in the game and Allen and company carved them up. Allen threw for 334 yards with two touchdowns and added another two rushing scores while running for 23 yards. He liked his new target DJ Moore, who caught five passes for 100 yards and a score. The Bills defense did get the stop needed and held off a late drive.

NFL WEEK 1 TAKEAWAYS: BENGALS FLASH CONTENDER UPSIDE, BEARS EXPLODE AND PACKERS COLLAPSE Based on scoring from the first game, the Bills and Lions should rack up points in this matchup. The line has moved higher yet that may be an overreaction to Week 1 scoring. I think this game goes under the total. Thursday night games tend to score less. I am not confident the new field for the Bills is in great shape after they had to redo it. Finally, both teams will make adjustments on defense more than offense. I am backing the under 54.5.

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