Detroit, MI

Bills Mafia invades Detroit ahead of potential Super Bowl preview

Published

1 year ago

December 15, 2024

Bills Mafia invades Detroit ahead of potential Super Bowl preview

Hundreds of football fans in downtown Detroit were wearing blue, and it wasn’t just the Lions’ Honolulu Blue. It was a royal blue. Buffalo Bills Blue.

They are the Bills Mafia, a cheeky, self-given name for Buffalo Bills fans. The Mafia came in droves to Detroit Sunday, anxiously awaiting a matchup between the Lions and Bills, two likely SuperBowl contenders. In parking lots all around Ford Field, hordes of Bills fans were bearing the cold, wet weather and enjoying the camaraderie of fandom, anticipating the showdown of high-speed offenses at Ford Field.

The Bills Mafia has become infamous for their pregame antics, which often go viral on social media. Among their many hijinks, the Bills Mafia is perhaps most known for jumping from high places onto foldable white tables — the Bills Mafia table slam.

And at the corner of Gratiot Avenue and Brush Street, the Bills mafia congregated to do just that. At a large tailgate hosted by Fans of Buffalo — a group that advertises itself as the “premier Buffalo sports travel group” — white, plastic tables were getting crushed all day.

From a distance, it might have looked like an act of violence when Alex Cauley, a big, burly Buffalo fan in Bills-themed Zumbas overalls, threw Ryan Petras, a Lions fan, through a table from atop a concrete block. But they’re friends, they said, and were partying downtown and having a good time regardless of who might win.

Petras, 31, is from Troy. Cauley, also 31, is from Kansas City. The two met years ago while working together and linked up to tailgate before they game. They both plan to be groomsmen at each other’s weddings.

“He’s a good guy, even though he’s a Bills fan,” Petras said before getting thrown through the table.

Ceremoniously, Buffalo fans gathered around the table while Cauley led them in a chant before launching Petras (and himself) through the table, crashing to the ground and laughing — wincing with a little bit of pain, too.

“I’ll feel that tomorrow,” Petras said.

This season, the Bills mafia has brought a considerable presence to all of their away games. The goal is to make every game for the Bills feel like a home game, even if they are hundreds of miles away.

Kym Eiss, a Bills fan born in Buffalo, now living in Toledo, was out early for the tailgate in all of her Bills gear. Her reason for coming out?

“It’s the Mafia. What do you mean?” Eiss said. “I bleed red, white and blue, my whole family is from Buffalo.”

Eiss said she has some respect for the Lions, saying that she expects this game to be a preview of this year’s Super Bowl. But, of course, her faith was behind Josh Allen and Buffalo’s high-powered offense.

“The Bills, Josh (Allen), they look good. There’s no other way to put it,” Eiss said.

On the same strip of tailgaters on Mechanic Street, DJ Myers, a 29-year-old Lions fan from Troy, said there were simply “too many” Bills fans in Detroit, but he wasn’t intimidated by their presence.

“(Lions) fans this year have been as good as ever and you’ve seen the blue wave from the Lions in Arizona and Green Bay,” Myers said. “Our noise is so important to the product we put out on the field.”

Myers has been to every Lions home game this season, and he traveled to Arizona in week three to see the Lions beat the Cardinals. Lions fans are just as dedicated as the Bills Mafia, Myers said.

“That’s why this is the most expensive ticket in the NFL this year,” Myers said. “It’s not by accident,”

Liam Rappleye covers breaking and trending news. He can be reached at LRappleye@freepress.com

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Detroit, MI

Former Piston shows Detroit what they’re missing as he dominates next to LeBron

Published

9 hours ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

Former Piston shows Detroit what they’re missing as he dominates next to LeBron

The Pistons have made recent moves to add more shooting, but still don’t have anyone quite as lethal as former Detroit guard Luke Kennard. On Saturday night, Kennard had a brilliant start to his postseason with 27 uber-efficient points for the Lakers in a win against the Rockets. His level of 3-point accuracy is something the Pistons have desperately been seeking all season long to bolster their offense.

Luke Kennard’s shooting makes him a dangerous playoff performer

Kennard was originally drafted to Detroit with the 17th pick of the 2017 Draft. The Pistons have plenty of draft regrets from that general era of team history, but picking Kennard has never been one of them. Despite any other weaknesses he may have, his strength as a shooter has always been enough to offset them.

In terms of pure 3-point percentage, Kennard is one of the best shooters in NBA history. He averages 44% behind the arc for his career, and shot a blistering 48% this season – the best mark in the league. Given his incredible track record, it’s not exactly a shocker to see him shoot 5-of-5 from three en route to 27 points in Game 1.

Not only is Kennard obviously an excellent standstill shooter, but he’s also a master of getting himself open with his movement. On Saturday night, he was able to play off LeBron James perfectly for a few easy looks. After that, he caught enough of a rhythm to create 3-point looks for himself, even in transition.

A player like Kennard is easily capable of turning an entire playoff game when he gets hot. In a close series, that one game where Kennard hits several threes can be all the difference his team needs to advance. If the Lakers do manage to win this series, even without Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves, Kennard’s shooting will be a major reason why.

The Pistons could use someone like Kennard

Kennard would be a perfect marginal addition for the Pistons that only makes them better without taking anything away from the team. To be fair, the Pistons do have two shooters who have been hot recently in Duncan Robinson and Kevin Huerter. But having more than one respected shooter on the court at a time is often necessary to maintain a solid offense in today’s NBA.

Given the Pistons’ current lack of shooting, any additional shooters are welcome. And Kennard is understandably one of the most feared shooters in the league, capable of bending defenses just by the threat of him taking a three. Rolling him out on the Pistons would surely open up more lanes for Detroit’s stars to attack the paint and score easier points.

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Detroit, MI

Troopers arrest Detroit woman after drive-by shooting on I-94

Published

21 hours ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Troopers arrest Detroit woman after drive-by shooting on I-94

A Detroit woman was arrested in the aftermath of a hit-and-run collision and shooting on Interstate 94, Michigan State Police reported.

Emergency dispatchers were called shortly after midnight Saturday about the altercation. Troopers reported the caller said while they were driving eastbound on I-94, near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, a black Jeep sideswiped them and sped off.

The caller then decided to follow the Jeep.

In response, police said, the driver of the Jeep fired several gunshots in the caller’s direction.

None of the gunshots struck the vehicle.

Troopers were able to use license plate reader camera technology to locate the Jeep while it was on the Lodge Freeway, made a traffic stop. The driver and two passengers were taken into custody without incident.

The passengers were released shortly afterwards; troopers believe that the 19-year-old driver was the shooter. She has been lodged pending further review by the prosecutor’s office.

In addition, a firearm was recovered from the vehicle.

The above video originally aired on Aug. 19, 2025.

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Detroit, MI

Orlando Magic vs Detroit Pistons odds for NBA playoffs Game 1 Sunday

Published

1 day ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Orlando Magic vs Detroit Pistons odds for NBA playoffs Game 1 Sunday

Who is favored in the NBA playoffs odds for Game 1 between the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic?

Here’s what you need to know about NBA playoff betting odds for the NBA game between the No. 8 seed Magic and No. 1 seed Pistons, which is being played on Sunday, April 19, 2026.

What is the point spread for the Pistons vs Magic game?

What is the moneyline for the Magic vs Pistons game?

What is the over/under (point total) for betting on the first-round NBA playoff matchup?

Watch Magic at Pistons on Peacock

Magic vs Pistons odds: What is point spread?

According to BetMGM Sportsbook, the Detroit Pistons are an 8.5-point favorite over the Orlando Magic in Game 1 of their NBA Playoffs series.

Pistons vs Magic odds: What is moneyline?

BetMGM Sportsbook lists Detroit as -375 on the moneyline for the first-round NBA playoff game. It has Orlando at +290.

Magic vs Pistons odds: What is over/under?

The point total for the opening game of the NBA playoffs series between the Pistons and Magic is listed at 218.5 points, per BetMGM Sportsbook.

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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