Week 2 of the NFL’s regular season slate kicked off Thursday night and brought us a far more entertaining contest than we saw in any of the primetime slots in the opening week of the season. While last Thursday’s contest was a slog between NFC West rivals playing in Melbourne in the latest chapter of the league expanding to different shores, this week was different.

We had an interconference clash between the Lions and the Bills. It marked the first game at the new Highmark Stadium, at least in regular season action (Buffalo did have a preseason game there in August against Carolina) and it lived up to expectations. Both teams entered the contest 1-0 on the year. Buffalo punched Detroit in the mouth early and controlled the game en route to a 41-31 victory that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.

QUARTERBACKS

Jared Goff got off to a slow start in the game and that put the Lions behind the eight ball. He was sacked on the opening possession on third down, leading to a punt. On the second drive, he was sacked again by Greg Rousseau, turning a 2nd and 1 into a 3rd and 11. That play ended in a bad snap and another punt. Buffalo marched down the field and Goff was staring a 21-0 hole in the face just over three minutes into the second quarter. He regrouped in the contest to finish 26 of 38 for 327 yards and four scores but the stats were like eating a bag of chips: empty calories. In addition, he was sacked four times and fumbled twice.

If you had any qualms about Josh Allen in this one, he put them to bed early in the contest. He racked up 40 yards on the ground on the opening drive of the contest and punched in the game’s first score from a yard out. Allen took control of the game and maintained his composure throughout the contest. The Bills were nine of 12 on third down in the contest and scored on each of their first four drives. Allen extended his NFL record with his 10th career game with at least two passing scores and two rushing scores. He finished 20 of 31 for 248 yards and three scores while adding 69 yards plus two scores on the ground.

RUNNING BACKS

Jahmyr Gibbs set a career-high last week against the Saints when he carried the ball 29 times and added five receptions in the overtime win. Perhaps that caught up with him as much as the game flow did as Gibbs was held in check for the most part. He finished with 16 carries for 52 yards in the game. Gibbs was completely bottled up in the second half, carrying eight times for five yards. He added six receptions for 61 yards and a score in the contest. Sione Vaki had just one carry in the game for seven yards while adding a 13-yard reception in his limited work.

James Cook III had a quiet game in the opener as Houston’s defense slowed him down. That wasn’t a problem in this one as his jump cuts created space on the occasions where the offensive line didn’t clear a massive lane. He was over the century mark before the half and ended up finishing with 21 carries for 135 yards. Cook III found the end zone late to cap off a solid performance. He narrowly missed a second touchdown in the second quarter as he was tackled at the one-yard line. Cook III continues to be the bellcow back for the Bills as neither Ray Davis or Frank Gore Jr. had a touch.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Detroit has a dangerous 1-2 punch at the receiver spot but they were stuck in neutral for most of the first half. That put the Lions in trouble early and while they got things going in the second half, it was far too little, too late. Amon-Ra St. Brown was targeted just twice in the first half while Jameson Williams was targeted three times before intermission. St. Brown was a factor in the second half, finishing with nine catches for 143 yards and two scores. Williams had just two catches for 33 yards on four targets. Third receiver Isaac TeSlaa finished with more targets (five) but had just two grabs for 26 yards.

The Bills spread the ball around as Allen hit seven different targets in the contest. DJ Moore didn’t catch a pass before leaving with a shoulder injury and a stinger in the second quarter. In his absence, Keon Coleman stepped up with six catches for 63 yards, picking up a couple of critical third downs to keep drives alive. Khalil Shakir caught two balls on the opening drive but had just one the rest of the way. Josh Palmer was targeted three times and had just one catch. On the plus side, it was a 43-yard score on a blown coverage. Both Palmer’s catches this season are for scores. He had just one touchdown the last two seasons combined.

TIGHT ENDS

One thing the Lions missed last season was the presence of Sam LaPorta being there as a safety valve or to stretch the seam. He was involved in this contest early and often as he had more targets than St. Brown and Williams in the opening half. All told, LaPorta finished with six catches for 52 yards and a score. He probably could have had more yards but the Lions’ makeshift offensive line was having issues all night long.

Buffalo ran more three tight end sets than anyone in week one and that trend continued in this contest. Dalton Kincaid, coming off a massive five-catch, 130-yard performance in the opener, followed up with another six receptions for 88 yards and a score here. He was split out wide at times, especially after the Moore injury, and so was Dawson Knox. Knox finished with two catches for just five yards but did reel in a touchdown catch. Jackson Hawes continues to be a force as a blocking tight end though he is capable of making the catch when Allen looks his way.

MISCELLANEOUS

Jake Bates was solid in the kicking game as he converted all four extra point attempts and his lone field goal try from 31 yards. Tyler Bass missed an extra point for the Bills in the second quarter, finishing five for six on extra points without attempting a field goal in the contest. Buffalo dominated the contest, outrushing Detroit 203-66, picking up 34 first downs and they owned a 33:45 to 26:15 margin in the contest. The game was decided in the first 18 minutes as the Lions couldn’t get off the field defensively. That proved to be the difference in the game.

Detroit falls to 1-1 on the year with the loss and get a little extra rest before hosting the Jets at Ford Field in another interconference matchup. With as gassed as the Lions’ defense looked during the contest, that might be a major benefit for them. Meanwhile, Buffalo improved to 2-0 in the early portion of the season and now get extra rest before they host the Chargers next Sunday at Highmark Stadium. Buffalo has already found the end zone 10 times in their first two weeks of the season. That kind of explosive offense is hard to contain when it’s clicking.

--Chris Kubala