Imagine renting a car one week, turning it in, then renting the car again next week with four flat tires, no doors and all warning lights on.

That describes what the Buffalo Bills have gone through in subsequent weeks.

One of the most interesting storylines of the 2022 NFL season was last week when the Bills were forced to surrender home field advantage. The city of Buffalo was hit with six feet of snow and moved their game against Cleveland to Ford Field, in Detroit.

Despite their circumstances, Buffalo won 31-23.

This week Buffalo comes back to Ford Field, but as the away team, in what should be a “hostile” environment.

“…I mean it’s been electric and I can only imagine now, I already know, it’s going to be on fire,” said Dan Campbell referring to the atmosphere at Ford Field this Thursday.

Besides home field advantage giving an edge to the Detroit Lions, they’ll still have to execute perfectly to beat a very good overall Bills team. On the contrary, they haven’t played their best football lately, going 1-2 in their last three.

In those games Bills quarterback Josh Allen has not looked like his usual self. He’s thrown four interceptions and only two touchdowns, adding two rushing touchdowns in a loss versus the New York Jets. It could be in part because of an elbow injury that has been bothering Allen during that stretch.

The common misconception with this Bills squad is that they don’t have a rushing attack. Buffalo averages the ninth most rushing yards per-game in the NFL at 134 yards. Their rushes don’t come from one single player, but a combination of guys in situations that fit them best. Allen is their leading rusher with 483 yards and four touchdowns.

While his legs are an elite factor of his game, his arm is far more dangerous. The weapons on the receiving end are elite as well. Stefon Diggs is third in receiving yards with 1,033 adding eight touchdowns. Diggs is a top receiver in the NFL and is a threat everywhere on the field.

When Allen wants to go deep he typically targets Gabe Davis. Recently Davis has been prone to dropping passes, but when the two connect it’s typically for a large gain. Davis tops the NFL in yards per-reception.

On the defensive side of the ball Buffalo is just as solid. They hold opponents to only 17.4 points per-game (5th in the NFL). They have a top 10 rush defense, but their passing defense is just above average.

The most dangerous factor of the Bills defense is their ability to force turnovers. They rank third in the NFL with 18 takeaways in 10 games.

On the flip side, the Detroit Lions are on a three-game win streak. The defense has grown immensely and the offense has scored consistently.

There is not a better time for Detroit to play Buffalo. If the Lions can limit offensive turnovers and take a couple from the Bills, it could get interesting.

Photo Credit: Rick Osentoski – Associated Press (Allen), Adam Hunger – Associated Press (Goff)