Touchdown Theory

Week 2

Detroit Lions at Buffalo Bills

Thu Sep 17, 8:15 PM ET

The market

Line
BUF -4.5
Total
53.5
Moneyline
DET +180 BUF -218

These are the market's numbers, recorded as the feed saw them. They are shown so the model can be compared against something, not as a recommendation.

How the line moved

RecordedLineTotalDETBUF
Mon Aug 31, 4:46 PM ETBUF -352.5+130-155
Wed Sep 9, 5:19 PM ETBUF -352.5+136-162
Fri Sep 11, 3:11 PM ETBUF -351.5+136-162
Sun Sep 13, 11:25 PM ETBUF -3.553.5+150-180
Mon Sep 14, 11:25 AM ETBUF -4.553.5+160-192
Mon Sep 14, 10:31 PM ETBUF -4.553.5+170-205
Tue Sep 15, 10:00 AM ETBUF -4.553.5+180-218current

Each row is a snapshot the feed recorded, oldest first. Superseded rows are kept, because a line that moves and moves back is only visible if both are shown.

Environment

Surface
a_turf
Temperature
70F
Wind
3 mph W
Chance of precipitation
22%
Humidity
85%
Forecast
Slight Chance Rain Showers

Issued 65 hours before kickoff. A forecast issued further out has had less time to settle.

The projection

Not published yet. When it is, this section carries the projected score, spread, total and win probability for this game, the fair odds the probability translates to, and the projected play counts and per-team box lines behind them.

How the number is built

The model projects each side, then adjusts for the conditions the game is played in. Both steps are shown so the adjustment can be seen rather than taken on trust. These add up exactly as printed; if they ever did not, this section would not appear.

BUF26.4
26.4Before environment+(+0.0)Environment=26.4
DET22.6
22.6Before environment+(+0.0)Environment=22.6
Total49.1
49.1Before environment+(+0.0)Environment, BUF+(+0.0)Environment, DET=49.1
Wind
not applied
Cold
not applied
Indoors
not applied
Elevation
not applied

Wind and cold are recorded as an effect on passing efficiency, not as points, and the conversion between the two is not published, so they are shown in their own units rather than added into the chain above. Indoors and elevation are recorded in points.

Two earlier links, per-play efficiency and the matchup adjustment, are computed and discarded rather than stored, so they cannot be shown yet.

live-20260915T030122Z, generated Mon Sep 14, 11:01 PM ET

Where the player numbers come from

The model projects each team's line first, then divides it among players. Both are shown, with the team figure beside the sum of its parts, so the division can be checked rather than trusted. A row appears only when the parts add up to the whole.

Buffalo Billsprojected 37.2 pass plays, 25.8 run plays
Team lineProjectedSum of players
Pass attempts32.532.5
Pass yards241.1241.1
Receiving yards241.1241.1
Pass touchdowns1.991.99
Receiving touchdowns1.991.99
Carries28.228.2
Rush yards147.8147.8
Rush touchdowns1.621.62
PlayerPosPassRushRecTgtShare
Josh AllenQB241.135.1100%
James Cook IIIRB70.417.62.47%
DJ MooreWR2.853.86.622%
Dalton KincaidTE0.054.84.723%
Khalil ShakirWR0.334.44.514%
Ray DavisRB18.07.21.23%
Dawson KnoxTE0.020.22.38%
Ian WheelerRB10.93.80.72%
Keon ColemanWR14.11.96%
Joshua PalmerWR13.31.46%
Ty JohnsonRB5.85.80.82%
Greg DortchWR0.76.51.03%
Jackson HawesTE6.90.73%
Frank Gore Jr.RB3.82.70.41%
Detroit Lionsprojected 36.9 pass plays, 23.6 run plays
Team lineProjectedSum of players
Pass attempts35.035.0
Pass yards234.1234.1
Receiving yards234.1234.1
Pass touchdowns1.981.98
Receiving touchdowns1.981.98
Carries23.623.6
Rush yards129.6129.6
Rush touchdowns1.491.49
PlayerPosPassRushRecTgtShare
Jared GoffQB234.14.5100%
Jahmyr GibbsRB87.727.14.612%
Amon-Ra St. BrownWR2.072.69.931%
Sam LaPortaTE0.056.26.324%
Jameson WilliamsWR2.040.64.217%
Sione VakiRB21.45.21.22%
Jacob SaylorsRB11.61.60.41%
Brock WrightTE0.08.51.94%
Isaac TeSlaaWR0.15.80.72%
Tyler ConklinTE0.05.50.62%
Tom KennedyWR0.15.00.62%
Tay MartinWR0.14.90.52%
Dominic LovettWR0.11.00.10%

Share is a player's portion of the team's projected passing yards, counting a quarterback by what he throws and everyone else by what he catches. Targets are shown but not totalled: a throwaway, a batted ball or a sack is a pass attempt with no target, which is about four a game per team, so targets legitimately do not sum to attempts.

live-20260915T030122Z

Injury report

This is the week 1 report. This game is in week 2, and the league has not filed a report for it yet.

Detroit Lions8 listed
Christian IzienSQuestionableGroinLimited Participation in Practice
Derrick MooreDEHamstringFull Participation in Practice
Ennis Rakestraw Jr.CBAnkleFull Participation in Practice
Jimmy RolderLBHamstringFull Participation in Practice
Keith Abney IICBHandFull Participation in Practice
Mekhi WingoDTGroinFull Participation in Practice
Thomas HarperSAnkleFull Participation in Practice
Trevor NowaskeLBKneeFull Participation in Practice
Buffalo Bills3 listed
Jordan HancockCBQuestionableQuadricepFull Participation in Practice
T.J. SandersDEQuestionableKneeLimited Participation in Practice
Ty JohnsonRBQuestionableHamstringLimited Participation in Practice