Reggie Bush vs. Buffalo Bills run D matchup to watch

The Detroit Lions will take on former head coach Jim Schwartz tomorrow when they face the Buffalo Bills, and they’ll have to face Schwartz’s defense without running backs Joique Bell and Theo Riddick, who were both ruled out yesterday. George Winn will be the back supporting Reggie Bush, who has a fantastic opportunity to have a massive fantasy output due to the influx of touches on the ground and through the air. To this point in the season, Bush hasn’t done much, as he is averaging just 3.8 yards per carry, though he does have a touchdown run and has been a consistent threat in the passing game.

Bush will certainly benefit from seeing more touches with Bell out, but the problem is that he’ll be going up against one of the league’s best front sevens. The Bills run defense is elite even without Kiko Alonso, but there are two key pieces of injury news that could help swing the balance in the favor of the Lions. First of all, underrated tackle LaAdrian Waddle is back in the mix, while Bills stud DT Kyle Williams and solid LB Nigel Bradham are both listed doubtful, meaning there is very little chance that either of them plays.

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The Williams injury is a particularly big blow for the Bills up front, because he’s been one of the best defensive tackles in the game over the past five years, and he certainly hasn’t missed a beat this year with pressure and solid run defending galore. And while Bradham isn’t a big name, the Bills will lose a dependable linebacker who has been playing at a quality level this year if he is indeed unable to suit up. On the Lions side of things, Waddle’s return is huge, but he could have his hands full with Mario Williams.

When looking at the Bills run defense, the players responsible for their second-lowest 2.9 yards per carry allowed are two hard-nosed downhill run stuffers at linebacker in Brandon Spikes and Preston Brown. We’ve always known that Spikes is a beast in run D, and that overcomes his poor coverage skills. Brown earned some Spikes comparisons while at Louisville, but he’s also better than the slow-footed (but ridiculously explosive) Spikes in coverage. So far in his career, Brown has made plays all over in run D with an insane 40 tackles. He’s no Kiko Alonso, but Brown is clearly having a standout rookie campaign in his own right.

So how does Bush beat these guys? By rushing to the outside. Aaron Williams and Da’Norris Searcy have always been formidable foes in run defense, but the safeties are the only players in the Bills secondary worth worrying about in the running game. Armed with a great blocking WR in Golden Tate, the Lions could really take advantage of a Bills cornerbacks group that struggles in run defense. Leodis McKelvin can hold his own out there, but he isn’t great, and, according to the Pro Football Focus, Nickell Robey has five missed tackles already this year. Bush is still one of the league’s most agile backs, so this is definitely something to watch for.

I think the Lions offensive line has been underperforming this year, as Larry Warford and Riley Reiff are having letdown years early on over on the left side of the Lions line. Dominic Raiola will benefit from Williams’s absence and the whole line will be helped by Waddle’s return, so we’ll see if these can serve as a catalyst for the Lions line. Bush has his work cut out for him tomorrow, but his ability to move the chains through the air on the Bills defense shouldn’t be questioned. With Alonso out for the year, the Bills don’t have enough linebackers who can hold up in coverage on Bush, and they can’t expect to use safeties on him with the likes of Eric Ebron, Calvin Johnson, and Tate on the Lions offense.

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