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The Buffalo Bills and the Detroit Lions will play their first preseason game on Friday night. It's time to continue our NFL odds series and make a Bills-Lions prediction and pick.
These franchises couldn't be at more different points in their quest for a Super Bowl. The Bills lost in the AFC Championship game last season, and any season that doesn't result in a deep playoff run would be a disappointment to Buffalo. There are hardly any position battles taking place across the roster, so this preseason is about getting young players reps for the Bills. The Lions are pretty much the opposite. Detroit has one of the worst rosters in football, with hardly any positions having established starters. This is as important as a preseason can get for Detroit as they try and find out who deserves meaningful snaps in September.
Here's how the bookmakers have set the lines for Friday's game.
NFL Odds: Bills-Lions Odds
Buffalo Bills ML (+103)
Detroit Lions ML (-123)
Line: Bills + 1.5
Over 36 1/2 points (-105)
Under 36 1/2 points (-115)
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Why The Bills Could Win
The Bills have pretty solid depth all along the roster, but their big advantage over Detroit comes at the quarterback position. It's already been announced that Josh Allen won't play in this game, so Buffalo's backups will see the field for the whole matchup. Mitchell Trubisky is the second-string signal-caller, and while he didn't exactly live up to expectations with the Chicago Bears, he is more than good enough to shred a Lions defense full of players who may not make a final roster in the league.
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Trubisky is followed by Jake Fromm, a sophomore quarterback from the University of Georgia. We're yet to see extended action from Fromm, but it's reasonable to expect solid play from him against the Lions, as Detroit severely lacks depth on that side of the ball.
Another position of strength for Buffalo is their defensive line. There are two highly regarded rookies waiting to prove themselves in the preseason in Gregory Rousseau and Carlos “Boogie” Basham, so that immediately gives Buffalo better backup edge defenders than most teams in football. Moving past those two, the Bills have five backup defensive linemen who have played significant regular season snaps with some team in the NFL. The front office has done a great job building depth in that area, and it should show on Friday night.
Why The Lions Could Win
Detroit may not possess the same depth along the defensive line as the Bills, but their backups along the entirety of their front seven are impressive. Head coach Dan Campbell has assembled five proven backups in the linebacking corps, with exciting rookie Derrick Barnes in the mix. The Lions also have two high-profile rookies at defensive tackle in Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill. All of these players should see the field on Friday, giving Detroit a huge upper hand against a weak Buffalo offensive front.
The Lions are currently counting on Tim Boyle and David Blough to play most of this game, which doesn't inspire much confidence. Luckily, both of those quarterbacks will have a plethora of weapons to throw to. Detroit has stacked their wide receiver room with depth, including three receivers who previously held starting jobs or important backup positions. Those players combined with rookies Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sage Surratt should be able to present a problem for a Bills secondary that doesn't run very deep.
Final Bills-Lions Prediction & Pick
Because so much of a team's success is reliant on the quarterback, it's nearly impossible to pick the Lions in this game. Buffalo has significantly better backup quarterbacks and backup defensive linemen, two positions that often determine the outcome of the game. The Bills are an easy pick here, especially as underdogs.
FINAL BILLS-LIONS PICK: Buffalo Bills ML (+103)
