Lions vs. Bills Preview
When: Thursday, September 3rd, 7:30 P.M.
Where: Ford Field, Detroit, MI
Even though it is the final preseason game, there are plenty of reasons to watch. There are guys fighting for starting jobs. There are guys fighting for jobs period.
The first wave of cuts hit teams by Tuesday. The Bills, most notably, cut longtime running back Fred Jackson. Among notable cuts for the Lions was often injured receiver Ryan Broyles. Teams must trim their roster from 75 to 53 by 4 PM Saturday.
The Bills will be starting Matt Simms at quarterback. Following his team's preseason practice on Tuesday, Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan announced that his starters will all sit out Thursday's final preseason game. Ryan has already announced that Tyrod Taylor will be the team's starting quarterback. Taylor outperformed E.J. Manuel and Matt Cassel to win the job.
Calvin Johnson is not expected to play at all, which is nothing out of the ordinary. Johnson does not have any injuries. Instead, he is being held out as a precautionary measure to ensure that he is 100 percent healthy going into week one. Other notable starters who will not play for the Lions are: LB DeAndre Levy, DE Ziggy Ansah, RG Larry Warford, DE Jason Jones, RT LaAdrian Waddle, DT Caraun Reid, CB Alex Carter, LB Kyle Van Noy, DT Haloti Ngata, and RB Joique Bell. Coach Jim Caldwell said the Lions' starters playing time will vary from player to player, some staying in through the start of the second half. Caldwell would not commit to which starters would play Thursday.
Here are a few storylines going into Thursday's matchup:
Doc? The Zen-Master? Sleepy? - The biggest storyline for preseason games with the Detroit Lions has been undrafted free agent running back Zach Zenner. Zenner leads the entire NFL in preseason rushing yards (162 yards on 25 carries). With Joique Bell not playing, Ameer Abdullah will see minimal action. That leaves Theo Riddick, Zach Zenner, and George Winn to split the carries. Riddick is mainly used in passing situations, so expect Zenner to see plenty of action against the Bills.
Wide Receiver Depth - The most contested battle for the Lions is the battle at wide receiver. Obviously Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate are locked into their respective positions. It also appears that Corey Fuller has secured his spot with the team, but is more than likely a backup for Calvin Johnson. That leaves Lance Moore, Jeremy Ross, Greg Salas, and T.J. Jones to battle over the final two spots. Most believe that Moore is also a given, leaving Ross, Salas, and T.J. Jones to battle for the final spot. Ross has the edge because of his special team contributions. Salas has performed the best of the three in preseason, but was not impressive during off-season workouts or training camp.
Bills Running Backs - LeSean McCoy is the projected starter. However, he has been hampered by a nagging hamstring injury. The Bills, at this time, are not sure if he will be ready for week one. The Bills are confident enough in their running attack to cut Fred Jackson earlier in the week. Boobie Dixon, Karlos Williams, and Bryce Brown round out the running back corps. Brown appears to be the only one back on the bubble. But expect some hard running as anticipation of week one carries if McCoy isn't quite ready to go.