Super Bowl preview? 3 bold predictions for Bills vs. Lions

In what could very well be a preview of Super Bowl LIX, the Buffalo Bills will travel to the Motor City for a highly anticipated Week 15 matchup with the Detroit Lions.

Despite a historic six-touchdown performance from NFL MVP frontrunner Josh Allen, the Bills had their seven-game winning streak snapped this past Sunday in a 44-42 shootout loss to the Los Angeles Rams, a defeat that will make earning the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC much more difficult.

The Lions, of course, would be the top seed in the NFC if the playoffs started tomorrow and enter this contest riding a franchise-record 11-game winning streak.

With Buffalo at 10-3 and Detroit at 12-1, their combined .846 winning percentage is tied for the fourth-highest entering a game in Week 15 or later since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

It's also only the fourth time since the merger that a matchup in Week 15 or later will feature two teams averaging at least 30 points per game. The Lions lead the league in scoring at 32.1 points per game, while the Bills are a close second at 30.5.

So, this could be quite the wild ride at Ford Field on Sunday afternoon.

Here are a few predictions for the Bills as they look to get back on the winning track in Week 15 against the Lions.

Josh Allen will account for at least four touchdowns and won't take a single sack

While Allen may not account for the same six touchdowns he did against the Rams, we'll still call for him to be responsible for at least four against Detroit. We're also predicting that he won't take a single sack for the fourth straight game.

While the Detroit defense blitzes 36.4% of the time, the fourth-highest rate in the NFL, Aaron Glenn's unit only generates pressure on the quarterback 38% of the time, the seventh-lowest clip in the league when blitzing.

With as great as the Bills' offensive line has been, Allen should have ample time to throw, which is dangerous for any opposing defense. And as it seems that both Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid will be back in the mix alongside Khalil Shakir and Amari Cooper, that just makes Buffalo that much more dangerous.

But even if Detroit does generate pressure, Allen has a 123.8 passer rating against the blitz, the fourth-highest among all quarterbacks, and his 14 touchdown passes when being blitzed are the most in the NFL.

With that in mind, we're predicting that Allen will throw three TD passes against the Lions and rush for another.

James Cook will bounce back with a big game

As the Buffalo defense is going to struggle against the Lions' offensive attack, the Bills' best chance to win is to keep Jared Goff & Co. off the field.

As such, Sean McDermott will have to control the clock when the Buffalo offense is on the field, which means getting back to the running game that he effectively abandoned against the Rams.

Against Los Angeles, James Cook only logged a season-low six carries for 20 yards. But we're calling for him to have a solid bounce-back game against Detroit, as the Lions will have to respect the passing game.

We can't predict that Cook will reach 100 rushing yards because Allen will still be throwing the football plenty. But we're thinking Cook can get at least 70 yards on the ground and could get to 100 total yards by recording a few receptions along the way, perhaps even one of Allen's three touchdown passes.

The Bills will end the Lions' 11-game winning streak

With this pair of prolific offenses, it's a pretty safe bet that this game will look somewhat similar to the shootout the Bills just had with the Rams.

Jared Goff is playing the best football of his career and should have a field day with the Buffalo secondary, which could be without the services of cornerback Rasul Douglas (knee) and safety Taylor Rapp (neck/shoulder). Damar Hamlin is also dealing with back problems that could limit his availability.

The Bills, who've struggled against the run at times, could also have trouble containing the duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. So, the Lions are going to put up some points.

That said, however, we're calling for the Bills to put up more. Allen is playing out of his mind at the moment, and with some extra weapons at his disposal, he's going to lock up the NFL MVP with yet another strong performance and lead Buffalo to a 37-31 win.