3 potential X-factors on the Bills defense vs. Lions in Week 2 - Bills Wire

The Buffalo Bills continue their 2025 NFL season with a matchup against the Detroit Lions at home at Highmark Stadium in Week 2. It will be a Thursday Night Football affair.

While game plans, coaching, and strategy will play a part, but sometimes a big emphasis will sit with some individual players. In terms of the Bills defense, who could those be?

It certainly was not Bradley Chubb leading the line for the Bills' pass rush against the Houston Texans in Week 1. It was Rousseau and the cherry on top was his game-sealing strip sack in the dying seconds.

While the Bills did get some splash plays from the likes of Rousseau and others, the effort was not consistent in Houston. Against Detroit, a struggling Bills secondary from Week 1 could use some help by the pass rush pressuring Lions quarterback Jared Goff more often.

Bernard is set to lead Buffalo's defense on Thursday despite dealing with a calf injury on injury reports this week. It won't all be on Bernard to slow down Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs but he will play a big role in getting the entire unit in the right positions to stop him as the quarterback of the defense... and Bernard will just need some standout individual moments as well.

There were simply too many free receivers running over the middle of Buffalo's defense against the Texans. As the slot cornerback, Alford's challenge is only going to get more difficult having to lineup against Amon-Ra St. Brown.