Buffalo knew going into Sunday's game that they'd have some tough work ahead of them against the league's No. 1 defense. Detroit, however, wound up with a similar problem.
The Bills defense got to Matthew Stafford six times en route to their 17-14 victory, three times more than the Lions were able to sack veteran Kyle Orton despite hitting him nine times. That pressure held Stafford to only 221 yards through the air, his lowest tally all season.
"They ran some really good games," Detroit guard Rob Sims said. "They do it a little different. Their ends, instead of reading, they're straight to the quarterback, which is a little different deal. Hats off to them. They played really good and we didn't play good enough."
That pressure kept an injured Lions run game in check, as well. Without the help of Joique Bell, a struggling Detroit rushing attack continued to struggle, gaining less than 70 yards.
With things largely one-dimensional, the Bills D was able to -- with the help of some ineffective placekicking -- keep Detroit scoreless for its last 10 possessions, while Buffalo's offense scored on half of their second-half chances.
"We’re always in the game," wide receiver Robert Woods said via buffalobills.com Monday. "Our defense is playing very well, getting turnovers for us and getting us the ball back. They’re playing awesome right now. We’ve just got to do our part and put up points and get winning games."
Buffalo's effort thus far has them currently touting the league's No. 1 run defense, as well as the best third-down defense, according to Chris Brown. That's a far cry from a season ago, when the team finished 28th in run D and 14th in third-down efficiency.
