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Week 10: Bills vs. Lions
 at 
Sunday, Nov. 14th
1:00pm ET
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It's the movable force against the resistible object this Sunday as the Bills return to the Ralph for the first time in over a month. The Bills are still looking for their first win while the Lions are trying to avoid setting the record for longest road losing streak in NFL history. They are now tied with the Lions teams of the early 2000s with 24 consecutive road defeats.
FACTS AND FIGURES
| Matchup: |
Buffalo (0-8) vs. Detroit (2-6) |
| Place: |
Ralph Wilson Stadium |
| TV/Radio: |
Network: FOX; DirecTV: 708; Sirius: 127 |
| Announcers: |
Ron Pitts and John Lynch |
| Spread: |
Bills by 3 |
| Series: |
Lions lead 4-3-1 |
| Streak: |
Lions Won 1 |
| Last Meeting: |
Lions 20-17 in Detroit (2006) |
| Lions Offense: |
Rush (30th); Pass (8th); overall (18th) |
| Lions Defense: |
Rush (27th); Pass (22nd); overall (25th) |
| Bills Offense: |
Rush (18th); Pass (23rd); overall (26th) |
| Bills Defense: |
Rush (32nd); Pass (6th); overall (26th) |
INJURY UPDATE
The Bills lost two big players for the year with injuries the past week as Roscoe Parrish and Andra Davis both went on injured reserve this week. The team hopes to get Terrence McGee back this week. He has missed five games with a nerve problem in his leg. Shawne Merriman will likely have to wait before making his Bills debut. He suffered a muscle strain in his right calf during practice on Wednesday which pretty much killed his chances of playing. Cordaro Howard will miss the game with a shoulder injury. There are several players with bumps and bruises but they should all play.
The Lions will be without starting QB Matthew Strafford who suffered his second shoulder injury of the season in their loss to the Jets last week. They will get QB Shaun Hill back and he will start despite suffering from a forearm injury to his non throwing arm. K Jason Hanson got hurt last week and will miss the game with a knee injury. DE Cliff Avril left the Jets game with a leg injury. LB Isaiah Ekejuba and SS C.C. Brown both missed the Jets game with injuries. G Stephen Peterman is sidelined by a foot injury. RB Kevin Smith has a knee injury. Starting CBs Chris Houston and Alphonso Smith are bothered by shoulder injuries but are expected to play.
Check out our  Bills Daily Injury Page throughout the week for the latest updates on the injured players.
KEY MATCHUPS
CB Drayton Florence vs. WR Calvin Johnson:
Florence has had a good year and will lineup against the Lions top receiver on most plays. Johnson is averaging a healthy 14 yards per reception and is a terror in the red zone with eight touchdowns.
WR Stevie Johnson vs. CB Chris Houston:
Johnson has pretty much taken over the Bills top receiving spot from Lee Evans. He draws Houston who is battling a shoulder injury but is expected to play. The four year pro has one interception in his first season in Detroit.
RG Eric Wood and C Geoff Hangartner vs. DT Ndamukong Suh:
Wood and Hangartner will likely double team the number two overall pick in this year's draft. Suh is a monster as a rookie, leading the team with 6½ sacks.
WR Lee Evans vs. CB Alphonso Smith:
Evans has struggled recently with several drops. He must step up his game now that Parrish is out for the season. Ryan Fitzpatrick must be careful throwing in his direction as Smith is a ball hawk with five interceptions on the season.
S Donte Whitner vs. TEs Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler:
The tight ends around the league continue to have huge games against Buffalo. Whitner leads the list of defenders that has been beaten by good and average tight ends in the league. Unfortunately for the Bills the Lions have two solid receiving tight ends in Pettigrew and Scheffler as they have combined for 66 receptions this year. In comparison the Bills three tight ends have just 11 catches this year.
NT Kyle Williams vs. C Dominic Raiola:
Williams is having a Pro Bowl type season despite not being the prototypical nose tackle in the 3-4 defense. The team is playing more 4-3 lately and he is excelling now. The durable veteran Raiola has started every game he has played in for the Lions since 2002 missing only four games in that time.
GAME PLAN
When The Bills Have The Ball: This may be the week the Bills finally try to establish a running game. The Lions have one of the lowest ranked run defenses in the league. The Bills will look to open up the play action after establishing a ground game.
When The Lions Have The Ball: They don't match up well with the Bills since they are a passing team and the weaker portion of the Bills defense is the run defense. With Strafford out and Hill banged up, the Lions will likely look to keep it on the ground more.
BILLS DAILY PREDICTION
This may be the Bills last decent shot at winning a game this year. I don't feel that confident they will win since the Lions are better than their record. The Bills are also better than there record and they will be experiencing home cooking. The Lions will be without their top quarterback. That is an edge for the Bills, although not as big as if Hill was out also. I'm taking the leap of faith and think they will get their first win:
Bills 27, Lions 17
Season Prediction Record: (6-2)
Season Record Against The Spread: (4-4)
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