Bills defense is out to prove itself against high-scoring Lions

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Cornerback Taron Johnson is still agitated over the dud the Buffalo Bills defense produced in giving up season worsts in points and yards, while melting down on third down in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams last weekend.

There’s no better time or opportunity to show how much better they are than this Sunday. That’s when the Bills (10-3) travel to play the NFC-leading Detroit Lions (12-1), who just happen to lead the NFL in scoring and feature the same dynamic style of offense as the Rams.

“I think our mindset is just going to be attack,” Johnson said after practice Wednesday. “We can’t wait to play Sunday just to prove people wrong and prove to ourselves that how we played wasn’t who we are.”

The Bills acknowledge having several excuses to lean on for why they unraveled in a 44-42 loss — riding a little too high after a division-clinching win, a cross-country trip and facing a more driven opponent in the thick of a playoff race. What’s unacceptable is the hesitancy their usually reliable defensive backs showed in coverage and the lack of pressure applied by their defensive front.

The bright side is the substandard performance potentially serving as a late-season reminder of this not being the time to let their foot off the gas.

“A lot of teams have scars on their way to having a darn good season. And we’re having a darn good season,” coach Sean McDermott said.

“So what has to be in front of us this week is the opportunity that’s in front of us, quite frankly, to challenge that team,” he added, referring to Detroit. “You better bring your heart, you better bring your guts, you better put it on the line.”

With a little bit of added fire, the Bills are going back to the basics on defense following an outing in which very little went right. The defense was off-balance from the start in being unable to stop the run, before eventually being picked apart in the passing game while allowing the Rams to score on each of their first six drives (not including a kneel-down to close the first half) in building a 38-21 lead.

The most frustrating part was Buffalo’s inability to get off the field while allowing the Rams to convert 11 of 15 third-down chances. LA’s 73.3% third-down conversion rate was the third highest against Buffalo — and worst since Miami converted 75% of its chances in 1986 — since the stat was introduced to NFL gamebooks in 1973.

“The recipe to lose a football game is what we did (Sunday) and it starts with me, first and foremost,” defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said Monday. “Move on and let it not happen again. Let it be a learning lesson. Failure is the best teacher.”

The challenge is preparing for an exceptionally balanced Lions offense that ranks fourth in the NFL in both rushing and passing, and averaging 32.1 points per outing.

The objective, McDermott said, is to not overcorrect but stick to the fundamentals that led to Buffalo winning seven straight before losing to Los Angeles. He placed an emphasis on winning at the line of scrimmage and forcing takeaways, something Buffalo failed to do last weekend for the first time this season.

A little more urgency, would help, too.

“It is a mentality. It is an attitude, and if you want to play good defense, that’s where it starts,” McDermott said. “There’s not a lot of shortcuts or ways around it. It’s got to be a mentality.”

The message resonated even on offense, where quarterback Josh Allen nearly rallied the Bills to victory while becoming the NFL’s first player to throw three touchdown passes and rush for three more scores.

“It was a case of you saw a team that’s fighting for their lives to try to make the playoffs in the Los Angeles Rams, and they came out ready to play. And maybe we didn’t have that type of urgency,” Allen said. “It forces us to know that we’ve got to be better. We know that.”

NOTES: LB Baylon Spector (calf) and DE Dawuane Smoot (wrist) returned to practice Wednesday, opening their 21-day windows to be activated off IR. ... Starting CB Rasul Douglas did not practice and could miss time after hurting his knee on Sunday. ... Buffalo has until this weekend to determine whether to activate OL Tylan Grable (groin) off IR.