No one is giving the Buffalo Bills a chance to overcome the NFL's leading defense in terms of yards allowed on Sunday when they travel to the Motor City to take on the Detroit Lions.
Bills vs. Lions 2014 picks and predictions: Buffalo looks to beat odds on the road
Is anyone giving the Bills a chance against the top-ranked defense through four weeks?
Gregory Shamus
Every expert from the likes of Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports and ESPN have the Lions coming out on top. Their reasoning could have a lot to do with the fact that veteran Kyle Orton is going to be leading the offense in place of the struggling second-year man E.J. Manuel.
While the change at quarterback might not be such a bad thing for the 2-2 Bills, it’s worth noting that Orton doesn’t inspire the oddsmakers to change their outlook. According to OddsShark, the opening line tot this contest was a hearty 7.5-point margin.
That's with Calvin Johnson on the injury report (ankle) for a second straight week.
The game figures to be a defensive battle, especially considering that Detroit has rewarded under bettors in six of its last seven tilts. Despite linebacker Stephen Tulloch being out for the year with a torn ACL, the defense has managed to turn heads with its second-ranked passing defense while ranking seventh against the run.
Though it could be without defensive lineman Nick Fairley (questionable, knee), Detroit has shown the ability to plug-and-play personnel when needed.
The Bills’ defense has been one of the few positives thus far as it ranks seventh in points allowed per game. The offense has been abysmal—it’s understandable why few give the unit a chance against the Lions.
SB Nation’s team of experts have a 6-1 bias toward Detroit, with PFT Commenter as the lone expert to choose the Bills.
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