Bills vs. Lions: Breaking Down Buffalo's Game Plan

After moving into the Kyle Orton era, the 2-2 Buffalo Bills will travel to Detroit to face the Lions in Week 5. Led by Matthew Stafford, the Lions have a potent offense with Calvin Johnson, arguably the league's best receiver, and newcomer Golden Tate. 

Reggie Bush will be toting the rock for the Lions, and he is like C.J. Spiller in that he is a threat to take it to the house on any given play. With the AFC East as open for the taking as it has been in quite some time, the Bills will be looking to win this game to get back on the right track and get one step closer to ending that 14-year playoff drought.

So what should the Bills be focusing on as they gear up for their trip to Detroit? Let's break down the Bills' game plan.

Stunting Is A Habit

Over the past few weeks, the Bills have had trouble protecting EJ Manuel. The guards (looking at you, Erik Pears) have had the most trouble providing a clean pocket, and they got consistently abused by stunting defensive linemen. J.J. Watt may have even used some of his new riches to purchase a home in the Bills backfield; he was there consistently in Week 4.

Heading into Week 5, the Bills once again will face off against a highly talented defensive line. Considering Kyle Orton has about the same mobility as Drew Bledsoe used to (read: none), it will be even more important for the Bills offensive line to keep the quarterback out of trouble.

photo from NFL Game Rewind

photo from NFL Game Rewind

In that first photo, you'll see Watt lined up over left tackle Cordy Glenn (77) before the snap. As the play develops, Watt stunts to the inside and gets a free run at Manuel (second photo). Watt didn't come up with a sack, but he planted Manuel on the turf and caused an incomplete pass.

If the Lions (Ndamukong Suh especially) are able to create pressure by mixing up which gaps they attack, the Bills will be in for another long day on offense. If they can give Orton a little bit of time, he should be able to accurately get the ball to his talented receivers.

Be Who We Thought You Were

Heading into this season, we knew the Bills wanted to depend on their run game to take pressure off Manuel. They did that in the first two games, and it led to two wins. The Bills couldn't keep up with the Chargers' high-octane offense in Week 3, but they were almost always within one score of the Texans.

However, the Bills abandoned the run game against the Texans and called 44 passes to only 23 runs. Bills rushers averaged 4.2 yards per rush, yet offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett was content to let the Texans defense run at Manuel as the signal-caller sailed passes everywhere except into his receivers' hands.

Now, the Lions do have a solid run defense in their own right. They are sixth in the league in terms of yards allowed per game. But maybe Jim Schwartz, who used to coach the Lions, can give his offensive counterparts some tips on how to best attack the Lions defense.

One way the Bills could go after the Lions? Run with power. The Bills beefy offensive line is built for the power run game, but the Bills often employed zone runs and draws because of the threat of Manuel keeping it and taking off. Orton isn't taking off with the ball unless he absolutely has to, so a change to some downhill running could help.

photo from NFL Game Rewind

Look at the Jets formation here. They have eight (eight!) blockers along the line of scrimmage and just one receiver split out. That run resulted in a five-yard gain for Chris Ivory. Runs like this aren't made for Spiller, but Fred Jackson or Boobie Dixon could certainly eat up some yards on plays like this.

Stafford and Johnson can make life very difficult for the Bills defense. If the Bills can stay committed to their run game and control the clock, it can keep the potent Lions offense on the sidelines.

Call in the Autobots

Megatron is going to be looking to do some damage—and he can do it from anywhere on the field, whether he catches it short or goes over the top and outjumps his defender. The Bills will need to know where No. 81 is at all times.

photo courtesy of Buffalo Rumblings

Above is a chart of Johnson's targets on the season, courtesy of Buffalo Rumblings. As you can see, Johnson's downfield targets have come mostly down the middle, so the Bills will need to always have a safety patrolling the middle to keep Johnson from running free.

But the Bills can't devote all their attention to Megatron. Tate can also do damage catching balls at the line of scrimmage and turning them into big gains. Again via Buffalo Rumblings, Tate has gained 6.3 yards after the catch on average so far this season.

Schwartz again can be the Bills' ace up their sleeve and give them insight on the best way to stop Stafford and his dangerous receivers. If the Bills can force Stafford into a few bad decisions, something he has historically been prone to, they can create takeaways to stay in the game.