Jake Fromm is a hero. Mitchell Trubisky had zero yards — basically. And Davis Webb hung in there. Who needs Josh Allen to keep things interesting? The Buffalo Bills backups handled that fine on their own vs. the Detroit Lions.
Takeaways from Buffalo Bills vs. Detroit Lions
Trubisky started and then threw 2 passes in as many possessions, completing one of them for 10 yards. The Bills were intent on running the ball, and that determination ate into Trubisky’s opportunities. So out he went after two forgettable series and in came Webb — and things got fun.
Webb was dealing, going 11-of-15 for 90 yards. He was excellent on Buffalo’s 15-play, 83-yard touchdown drive, which he capped with a 6-yard pass to Devin Singletary.
Yet, that was just the opening act for our first frantic finish of the 2021 preseason. Fromm, the Bills’ quarantine quarterback in 2020, directed a rousing 11-play, 55-yard drive in less than two minutes that Tyler Bass finished off with a 44-yard, game-winning field goal. Fromm ended the night going 8-of-13 for 65 yards and hung tough in the face of relentless pressure.
It’s game on in Western New York.
QBs weren’t the only players shining for the Bills
What a start for Buffalo Bills rookie Gregory Rousseau.
The first-round edge defender out of Miami was a menace, regularly shoving back any blocker assigned to him — regardless of draft pedigree. That even applied to first-rounder Penei Sewell, who had a tough moment early in the game — and Rousseau was to blame.
Penei Sewell was no match for Gregory Rousseau 😤😤pic.twitter.com/0D19Wl2GqS
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) August 13, 2021
On third-and-long, Rousseau manhandled Sewell with a bull rush and dropped quarterback Jared Goff for a drive-ending sack.
But that was just the start of a marvelous night for Rousseau. Playing through the first half, he had at least 2 more quarterback pressures, overmatching the backups he faced in the second quarter.
The Bills could not be more thrilled with his performance, particularly since it might be the dynamic that puts them over the top this season. Buffalo was so determined to improve its pass rush that the team drafted Rousseau 30th overall and Carlos Basham Jr. (a defensive lineman out of Wake Forest) in the second round.
Bills vs. Lions Recap | Jared Goff looked solid in his first game with Detroit
At least for one night, the Goff of Detroit looked a lot like the Goff of Los Angeles. Goff was accurate, safe, and to be honest, a bit boring in his Lions’ debut. If that sounds familiar, it should. That was his scouting report with the Rams, who traded him to Detroit after Sean McVay grew disillusioned with the former No. 1 pick.
The Lions also received premium picks from the Rams, but it cost them Matthew Stafford, who spent his first 12 years as the Lions quarterback.
Goff’s stat line was predictable — and that’s no slight. He went 7-of-9 for 56 yards and was largely safe with the football. But he also didn’t take too many chances, either. He threw just one deep pass — a completion to Tyrell Williams that went for 20 yards.
In other words, he threw a bunch of checkdowns — which was a big reason his time in Los Angeles came to an end.
Postgame interviews
After the contest, Davis Webb said Jake Fromm “came in clutch.” On the other side of the field, Jared Goff complimented his offensive line saying, “The line was protecting their nuts off.”
Adam Beasley is the NFL Insider for Pro Football Network. You can read all of Adam’s work here and give him a follow on Twitter @AdamHBeasley.