Buffalo Bills vs Detroit Lions: Watch Live Stream Online, Prediction, Preview, Buffalo To Play Most Starters Early

Unlike most teams in the final week of preseason, the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions will play most of their starters Thursday night at Ford Field.

The game starts at 7pm eastern time, and you can watch streaming online here.

The Lions' star tandem of quarterback Matthew Stafford and receiver Calvin Johnson, who share the cover of Sports Illustrated this week, could play Thursday but not extensively.

Stafford injured his non-throwing hand in Detroit's 31-20 loss against the Oakland Raiders last week, as Oakland racked up 513 total offensive yards. Most of the damage was done by Terrelle Pryor who connected with receiver Juron Criner for two touchdowns including a 79-yard bomb in the fourth quarter.

After the starters exit, Detroit will give Mikel LeShoure plenty of snaps in the backfield. The second-year running back is still hoping to lockdown a roster spot, but even if he does he still has to serve a two-game suspension to start the season.

While the Lions know their offense will click in the regular season, the Bills are still searching for some consistency on that side of the ball.

Buffalo is still recovering from their 38-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, as the offense was shutout in the last three quarters. Veteran Vince Young played his way into an early release after throwing two interceptions and going 12-for-25 for 103 yards.

Running back Fred Jackson, Buffalo's leading rusher in 2011, carried seven times for 34 yards and the team's only touchdown against the Steelers.

Like Detroit, the Bills will also play most of their starters for about 10 plays, according to The Buffalo News.

Buffalo invested heavily in their defense during the offseason, and would like to round it out with several solid role players. In the mix are, rookie linebackers Kirk Morrision and Scott McKillop, defensive backs Jairus Byrd and George Wilson, and defensive end Kyle Moore and defensive tackle Jarron Gilbert.

Prediction: Buffalo has several players on defense looking to make make the team, and if they can hinder the Lions' deep passing attack early the offense could generate some points against an inconsistent Detroit defense.

Predicted Score: Detroit 24, Buffalo 20