DETROIT -- The Buffalo Bills' preseason came to a mostly satisfactory conclusion Thursday night against the Detroit Lions.

The Bills' starters built a 10-0 lead after the first quarter and called it a night, heading to the sidelines in favor of the backups. No injuries were reported for any Bills starters. Detroit went on to win the game, 28-23.

Thus ended what might be the last four-game preseason schedule for Buffalo. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell would like to cut the exhibition schedule to two games, but that's dependent on the league striking a new collective bargaining agreement with its players for next season.

So, bring on the regular season!

The Bills begin their real games in nine days against the Miami Dolphins at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Buffalo must trim its roster from 75 to 53 players by 4 p.m. Saturday.

Buffalo finished the preseason 2-2, and Detroit finished 3-1, not that many fans will remember those records a month from now.

Bills cornerback Drayton Florence returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown on the third play from scrimmage.

Quarterback Trent Edwards and the rest of Buffalo's starting offense played just one series. Edwards directed a 13-play, 65-yard march to a field goal. It was a 47-yarder by Rian Lindell, and it gave the Bills a 10-0 edge.

"I thought our first groups went out there and did OK; not great, but OK," said coach Chan Gailey. "It was a great interception to score. That was big."

The Bills' starting offense closed the preseason with far better results than last year, when it went 15 drives without a touchdown.

This summer, Edwards directed 16 drives and got five touchdowns and two field goals. Edwards ended the preseason with a passer rating of 102.6. Nobody will remember that a month from now, either.

"We wanted to run the ball and throw a couple deep [passes]," Edwards said. "I think we accomplished that on the first drive. Chan said we were going to get around 12 plays and we put together a 13-play drive. In terms of what we were looking for, it was a good way to start the game."

With both teams protecting their starters from injury, the atmosphere in Ford Field, Detroit's cavernous domed home, was fittingly tranquil for the least significant game on the pro football schedule. The stadium was roughly a quarter full, with about 20,000 in the stands.

The Bills held rookie running back C.J. Spiller out of the game to protect him from injury. Detroit did the same with its rookie first-round draft pick, running back Jahvid Best.

It did not take long for the Bills to strike first. Detroit's second-year quarterback, Matthew Stafford, threw a quick-out for big receiver Calvin Johnson, who simply ran 5 yards and turned around. Florence read the play and easily stepped in front of the pass. He raced 40 yards down the right sideline for a TD to give the Bills a 7-0 lead after just 42 seconds.

"They were going into hurry-up offense," Florence said. "We were playing Cover 2. I was playing off about 10 yards or so. He threw the hitch and I jumped it.

"It felt great. I needed this. I wanted to end the preseason on a good note. No injuries. It's good to go into the regular season knowing I can make plays like that. I'm showing our defense confidence that I can make those types of plays."

The Bills were backed up on their own 6-yard line when they came out for their first offensive series. Edwards threw a deep pass down the left sideline for Lee Evans, who made an excellent play on the ball to grab it over cornerback Amari Spievey for a 50-yard gain. Edwards hit rookie David Nelson for a 9-yard gain to convert a third-and-6 situation and put the ball at Detroit's 21. But Edwards was sacked on a blitz, and the Bills were forced to kick a field goal.

"He's the type of guy where you have to put some air under it and he'll go make a play," Edwards said of Evans.

Brian Brohm relieved Edwards and directed two second-quarter field-goal drives. Brohm played five series overall. He was 7 of 15 for 78 yards.

Brohm's first drive went 47 yards in nine plays, ending with a 50-yard field goal by Lindell. A 23-yard pass from Brohm to Chad Jackson was the biggest gainer on the march.

A few minutes later, Buffalo took possession at Detroit's 41 after a short Lions punt. Brohm scrambled for 17 yards, which set up a 41-yard Lindell field goal that gave Buffalo a 16-0 lead with 5:35 left in the half.

Detroit got a touchdown with 10 seconds left in the half. It was set up by a 39-yard interception return by Bills castoff Ashlee Palmer, who brought the ball down to the Buffalo 14. Brohm's throw bounced out of the arms of tight end J.P. Foschi and into Palmer's hands.

Detroit's second touchdown came with 3:44 left in the third quarter. DeDe Dorsey caught a swing pass from Drew Stanton and ran 25 yards for a score. The third Lions score came on a 20-yard pass from Stanton to Derrick Williams with 10:57 left. With 6:27 left, Detroit's Paul Pratt returned an interception 102 yards for a score. The throw from Bills rookie Levi Brown was high and wide of intended receiver James Hardy, and Pratt had a clear run the length of the field. The Bills scored in the final seconds on a 1-yard run by Chad Simpson.

mgaughan@buffnews.comnull