Detroit, MI
Lions vs Bills winners and losers: Detroit’s Super Bowl 2025 chances take big hit
Eagles look like team to beat in NFC, Bills beat Lions in potential SB preview
Mackenzie Salmon breaks down the top storylines from Week 15 in the NFL.
Sports Seriously
Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett highlights the best and worst performances of the Lions’ 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Ford Field.
The Lions (12-2) lost for the first time in exactly three months — when they also lost at home to Tampa Bay, 20-16, in Week 2 on Sept. 15 — and had their franchise-record 11-game win streak snapped. The Lions will have to wait a week to get a second shot at setting the franchise single-season wins record when they visit division rival Chicago Bears in Week 16.
Lions-Bills winners
Bills QB Josh Allen
Allen was phenomenal Sunday, passing for 362 yards and two touchdowns and running for two more scores. He has five rushing and five passing touchdowns with zero turnovers in the Bills’ past two games and made a handful of improbable throws after extending plays with his legs.
With his performance, Allen cemented his place as this year’s probable MVP.
“Josh Allen just doing Josh Allen things, man,” Lions cornerback Amik Robertson said. “I don’t think they got any standout dog rec(eiver). They didn’t do nothing — for me they didn’t do nothing special, we just didn’t play Lions football today, man, but we’re going to be all right”
Lions S Brian Branch
Branch was one of the few bright spots on a defense that gave up its most points since Week 4 of the 2022 season.
The second-year safety had 15 tackles, two for loss, and a pass breakup. He had a TFL on a first-and-10 play in the third quarter that helped force the Bills’ only punt of the game and a pass breakup in the end zone that forced the Bills to settle for a short field goal they missed late in the second quarter.
The Lions defense has been decimated by injury and is hemorrhaging talent in the front seven, but they still have two of the best safeties in football in Branch and Kerby Joseph.
Lions-Bills losers
Lions OL
The Lions have one of the best rushing offenses in the NFL, but couldn’t run the ball a lick Sunday — 48 yards on 15 carries — and that’s part of why they found themselves in a big early hole. They went 0 yards, 1 yard, minus-2 yards on their first three carries and gave up two sacks in their first six pass attempts.
While the failures were a collective effort, Frank Ragnow (two holding penalties) and Graham Glasgow (a face mask) had especially rough days on the interior trying to block Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver (one sack, three QB hits).
The Lions still rallied for 42 points, so the line wasn’t all bad. But one of the league’s best groups hasn’t been its sharpest in a few weeks and that’s not what this team needs heading into the home stretch.
Lions’ Super Bowl 2025 chances
The Lions are still one of the best teams in the NFL, but it’s indisputable their Super Bowl 59 chances took another hit (or four) with injuries Sunday.
Already down defensive starters Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, Derrick Barnes and Alex Anzalone, the Lions lost two more defensive starters to major injury Sunday in Alim McNeill and Carlton Davis, gunner/cornerback Khalil Dorsey to a broken leg and running back David Montgomery to an MCL injury.
As good as they’ve been, the Lions are starting to run out of capable bodies, especially on defense. They could lose all four of the players who got injured Sunday for the remainder of the season, and good teams like the Bills and good quarterbacks like Allen are more than capable of exploiting their holes.
On Sunday, the Lions’ decimated linebacking corps struggled to get off blocks and cover Buffalo’s running backs and tight ends in the pass game. Anzalone should return soon, but it might not be enough to save the league’s most injury-ravaged defense.
Dave Birkett is the author of the new book, “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline.” Order your copy here. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
On the roster: Aidan Hutchinson, DJ Wonnum, Derrick Moore, Payton Turner, Tyler Lacy, Tyre West, Ahmed Hassanein
Twentyman: Hutchinson, 25, was named Second-Team All-Pro after setting a new career single-season high in sacks (14.5) while leading the NFL with 100 total pressures. Hutchinson is the first player in franchise history to log multiple 10.0-sack seasons through the first four years of a player’s career. With Al-Quadin Muhammad and his 11.0 sacks last year signing with Tampa Bay in free agency, the Lions needed to find Hutchinson a new running mate on the opposite edge.
Detroit added Wonnum in free agency and Moore in the NFL Draft and like what both bring to the table. It will be interesting to see how their unique skillsets fit in Kelvin Sheppard’s defense. Onwuzurike is a defensive tackle by trade but could also get some run as the big end.
While Detroit’s 49 sacks were the fourth most in the NFL last year, Detroit’s average time to pressure of 2.92 seconds was the slowest in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats. It wasn’t always the kind of pressure that affected the timing of opponent passing attacks as opposing quarterbacks finished with a 92.5 rating against Detroit’s defense, which ranked 19th.
On roster: Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez, Jimmy Rolder, Damone Clark, Trevor Nowaske, Joe Bachie
Twentyman: The departure of Alex Anzalone means the Lions will have a new starter at the WILL in 2026. The leading candidate to fill the role is the veteran Rodriguez. Rolder has an interesting skillset, but is he ready to step in right away after playing limited defensive snaps at Michigan? Could the versatile Clark potentially be a fit there too? The competition for the starting WILL spot will be one of the better ones to watch in camp.
It will also be interesting to see how Sheppard might evolve his scheme after an extensive sit-down with head coach Dan Campbell this offseason going through all the cut-ups on defense from last year. Detroit wants to be more adaptable and versatile. Will Barnes’ SAM role change at all within the defense? Will a team that played the most base defense of any team in the NFL last year play more nickel?
DETROIT – The sound and speed of the Detroit Grand Prix return to city streets in three weeks.
“Racing is in our blood. It’s in our DNA,” event chairman Bud Denker said.
Entering its fourth year downtown, the race hosts the NTT IndyCar Series and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship from May 29 through May 31.
“We’re not here once every 15 or 20 years like the Super Bowl or the Draft or Final Four,” Denker continued. “This event happens in our city every single year. You can plan on it.”
Racing up Franklin Street and down Jefferson Avenue, drivers can always count on a challenge from the nine-turn, 1.7-mile circuit.
“One little error and you’re going to hit a wall and end your day,” five-time Belle Isle winner and Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing sports car driver Jordan Taylor said. “It takes a lot of risk. It takes a lot of commitment. The car has to be fast. This is one of those events where you need everything to go right.”
The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear took the green flag for the first time in 1982 as a Formula One event, transitioning to IndyCar/CART in 1989.
Through layout and location changes, the event continues to reflect the city’s culture.
“Energy, warmth, and sense of togetherness make the Detroit Grand Prix special,” Reden Le said. A student at the College for Creative Studies, Le designed the poster for this year’s race. “Working on this poster made me actually see how the community in Detroit is so diverse and so fun.”
The fun includes concerts, festivities, and promotions adjacent to the track throughout race week, along with documented economic and charitable impacts.
“We love racing for all those reasons,” General Motors Vice President of Performance and Motorsports Jim Campbell said. “Certainly, to have a race in our hometown means a lot, and it’s also a great way to give back.”
Approximately 1,350 volunteers sign up with the Detroit Grand Prix Association each year, but community assistance goes both ways.
“We put thousands of people to work,” Denker added. “We bring 100 million dollars to the city every year, and we show off these kids.”
Members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit created seven murals adorning the wall to the right side of the pit lane exit.
Serving as a clear reminder of the community that makes this race what it is, they’re also tough for drivers to see at speeds in excess of 180 miles per hour.
“We’re one of only 20 cities in the world that have a downtown street course event,” Denker said. “We should never take that for granted.”
The track build has already begun, with most construction occurring at night to avoid disrupting traffic.
Friday, May 29, is Fifth Third Free Prix Day, welcoming fans to grandstands one and nine with no ticket required.
Reserved seats for all three days are on sale now.
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The Detroit People Mover is back up and running after being closed for the past two months for repairs following storm damage.
According to the Detroit Transportation Corporation, the People Mover reopened to the public at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
High winds on March 13 forced the People Mover to undergo a series of repairs, including undercarriage sheet metal removal, track cable communications and switch mechanisms.
Over the last 16 days, People Mover cars have been out for tests ahead of the reopening.
“Rider safety is always at the heart of what we do, and it is our responsibility as a public transit provider,” DTE CEO Melia Howard said in a statement. “The time was a necessary requirement to restore key, operational components and is an investment in the continued reliability of the system. We take pride in the role that the People Mover plays for residents, workers and visitors, and we look forward to being the go-to public transportation for both daily rides and special events which bring everyone together.”
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