2) Can either defense rise to the occasion? The Bills and Lions’ offenses don’t look like they can be stopped right now, but maybe they can be contained? Detroit did go one full quarter without scoring in Week 1.
Allen accounted for 357 yards of offense and four touchdowns in Houston. He was up against a defense that allowed the fewest yards and second-fewest points of any team in 2025, returning largely intact for 2026. The Texans started five Pro Bowlers from last season, including first-team All-Pros Will Anderson Jr. and Derek Stingley Jr. If Houston can’t slow down Allen, can any other team? It’s hard to imagine the Lions — with a patchwork secondary thanks, in part, to the injuries to Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph — causing more of a ruckus than the Texans did on defense, but they do have front-seven All-Pros in Aidan Hutchinson and Jack Campbell.
Detroit’s clearest path to pulling off an upset is keeping its defense off the field. It can do that by pounding the rock and dominating in time of possession, a lane that might be wide open for them considering the Bills allowed 124 rushing yards to the Texans in the opener, with Gibbs’ former running mate, David Montgomery, punching in two of his three TDs on the ground. Run defense was a weak spot for Buffalo last season, when the team gave up 136.2 yards per game (ranking 28th in the league).
Thursday will be a huge test for new Bills DC Jim Leonhard because it doesn’t appear that first-year Lions OC Drew Petzing is not holding anything back when it comes utilizing the game-breaking Gibbs, who had a career-high 34 touches in Week 1.