Thanks to two turnovers and some hard running by Mikel Leshoure, the Lions lead the Bills, 28-10, at halftime of their final preseason game.
The Lions gave up an easy score on the Bills’ first drive during which quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick went 5-for-5 and threwa four-yard touchdown to Steve Johnson, who was open in the end zone after making cornerback Jonte Green bite on a fake.
Leshoure then showed Lions fans a little of what he can do. On their first drive, he caught a screen pass and ran for a 33-yard play that moved the Lions across midfield and set up an eventual game-tying touchdown.
On third and 10 from the Buffalo 24, Matthew Stafford threw a perfect pass that met Calvin Johnson in the end zone between double coverage.
The Lions got the ball back immediately after scoring when Ashlee Palmer forced return man Brad Smith to fumble on the kickoff. Reshard Langford recovered the fumble for the Lions, giving them a new drive at the Buffalo 9.
Two plays later, Leshoure scored his first touchdown when he punched it in from two yards away. He finished the half with 41 yards rushing on 14 carries and the one 33-yard reception.
After the defense held, undrafted rookie wide receiver Patrick Edwards made a couple nice moves on a 30-yard punt return to give the Lions great field position on their third drive. The Lions drive ended with a Shaun Hill rushing touchdown from on a quarterback sneak from one yard out on fourth down.
Green made up for his early errors on the next Bills drive. It looked like Green read the Bills’ wide receiver screen and jumped in front of the softly thrown pass by Tyler Thigpen before taking it 23 yards for a score, giving the Lions a 28-7 lead — still in the first quarter.
The Lions couldn’t score in the second, but the Bills only managed a field goal. The third quarter starts soon with the Lions up, 28-10.
Rookie wide receiver Ryan Broyles also had a nice half with three catches for 54 yards.
The ugliest play for the Lions was a blocked field goal allowed on a 35-yard Jason Hanson attempt, but it was hard to see who missed a block.
Join the Conversation
The Detroit News aims to provide a forum that fosters smart, civil discussions on the news and events that we cover. The News will not condone personal attacks, off topic posts or brutish language on our site. If you find a comment that you believe violates these standards, please click the "X" in the upper right corner of the post to report it.