DETROIT (AP) — The NFC-leading Detroit Lions are playing the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills in a marquee, late-season matchup that might be a Super Bowl preview.
Detroit (12-1) is the odds-on favorite to win the NFL title, according to BetMGM, and Buffalo (10-3) is not far behind as one of the top contenders.
“There’s no place you’d rather be than playing this type of football, this type of team, in December,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said.
The Lions have won a franchise-record 11 straight games, helping them earn consecutive postseason bids for the first time in three decades.
The Bills are coming off their first loss in eight games, but their 44-42 setback against the Los Angeles Rams didn’t diminish high expectations for a team expected to challenge the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC title.
“You saw a team that’s fighting for their lives to try to make the playoffs in the Los Angeles Rams and they came out ready to play,” Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen said. “And, maybe we didn’t have that type of urgency.”
MVP candidates
Allen is favored to win his first MVP award after previously finishing second, third and fifth in voting.
“Means your team’s in a position to make the playoffs and give yourselves the chance to win the Super Bowl,” said Allen, who last week became the league’s first player to throw three touchdown passes and score three times rushing in a regular-season game.
Goff ranks third among candidates, according to BetMGM, because he is perhaps the most pivotal player on one of the league’s best teams.
“It’s cool to be recognized in some ways, but it doesn’t really mean anything,” he said. “I want to be holding that trophy at the end of the year, and I know that’s what matters.”
In the offseason, the quarterbacks hit the links together.
“He’s freakin’ awesome,” Allen said of Goff’s golf game. “It kind of displays who he is on the field, too. He’s just very calm and cool and collected when he plays.”
Campbell’s roommate
Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady isn’t surprised Campbell has transformed the Lions after being exposed to his motivating presence as roommates when they were assistant coaches for the New Orleans Saints.
“He’s as real as it gets,” Brady said. “He’s an incredible coach, incredible teacher. No shock in the world to see the success he’s had there.”
Keep-away
Campbell was even more aggressive than usual on fourth down in Detroit’s last game, trying to keep his injury-depleted defense off the field. He went for it on fourth down five times, and the Lions converted four of them in a 34-31 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 5.
Even with some banged-up players on defense potentially returning against Buffalo, the Lions may stick with the strategy in the hopes of keeping Allen on the sideline as much as possible.
“We’re not playing their offense on our side of the ball, but they do such a good job over there of holding onto the football and scoring points,” Allen said.
Playoff positioning
The Lions are tied with Kansas City for the league’s best record, but that doesn’t give them much breathing room to earn the top seed in the NFC or to defend their NFC North title.
Minnesota (11-2) is only one game back in the division, and closes the regular season at Detroit. The Philadelphia Eagles (11-2) are also one game behind in the race for home-field advantage through the conference playoffs.
“We’d love to say, ‘Yeah, 12-1, our division’s wrapped up,’ but it’s not even close,” Goff said. “We have two teams on our heels that are pushing us pretty hard, and we have to keep winning and I’m sure that they’re just waiting for us to lose.”
Buffalo, meanwhile, clinched the weak AFC East nearly two weeks ago. The loss to Los Angeles, however, hurt the Bills’ chances of competing with the Chiefs for the top seed in the conference.
“It’s all a good reminder for us of how competitive this dang league is week to week,” Buffalo coach Sean McDermott said. “A lot of teams take a lot of scars on their way to having a darn good season, and we’re having a darn good season.”