PICKING THE GAME

Dave Birkett

The Lions can stamp themselves as legitimate playoff contenders with a win over a good Bills team, but they’ll need a near-perfect game to do that. The Bills have Super Bowl aspirations, and even with an ailing Allen, their offense is the type of dynamic unit the Lions have struggled to stop all season. Allen is a dual-threat weapon bound to make some plays with his feet, and the shorthanded Lions secondary does not have the horses to run with Diggs and Davis. The pick: Bills 35, Lions 24.

Carlos Monarrez

It’s tempting to pick the Lions, who are playing their best football during a three-game winning streak. They also face the beleaguered Bills, who are playing their second game in Detroit in five days and didn’t exactly look amazing while beating Cleveland, 31-23. Josh Allen is getting the job done but just doesn’t look the same while dealing with an elbow sprain. The Bills are a legit 7-3 team that’s complete on both sides of the ball. The Lions have a puncher’s chance but will need too many things to break their way to beat one of the NFL’s elite teams. The pick: Bills 28, Lions 24.

Jeff Seidel

The Lions will cover the spread, as they typically do at Ford Field. And they will put a scare into Buffalo. By the end of this game, the nation will be saying: “Wow, that Lions team isn’t as bad as usual. They are building something here.” But beating the Bills and putting together a fourgame winning streak seems like a stretch at this stage of development. The pick: Bills 31, Lions 24.

Shawn Windsor

Quarterback Josh Allen practiced without a elbow brace Tuesday. This probably isn’t a good sign for the Lions. Still, the Lions’ three-game winning streak should provide enough momentum to keep this competitive. The pick: Bills 27, Lions 23.