DETROIT -- Buffalo Bills coach Chan Gailey did not take any chances Thursday night with his fastest backfield weapon.

Rookie running back C.J. Spiller was a healthy scratch from the lineup. Spiller had three rushing touchdowns in the previous two exhibition games and entered the final preseason weekend leading the AFC with 12 first downs.

Since starting running back Fred Jackson is out with a broken bone in his left hand, the Bills did not want to expose Spiller to any chance of injury. Jackson practiced on Tuesday and expressed optimism he will be able to play in the season opener against Miami on Sept. 12. But Jackson still probably will be listed as questionable heading into the game.

Third-year back Marshawn Lynch started after sitting out the previous two games with an injured ankle.

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The Bills managed 97 yards rushing in the game, but the leading rusher was quarterback Brian Brohm, who had 34 yards on four carries. Detroit had three sacks in the game and put good heat on Brohm and Bills rookie QB Levi Brown.

"In the second half we couldn't block anybody," coach Chan Gailey said. "They're strong on the defensive front. First, second, however many groups they've got, they're strong. But it was an awful display by our offensive line at times out there. We've got to shore that up in every respect."

Brohm engineered two field-goal drives in five possessions.

"He did some good things and some bad things," Gailey said. "I think I need to go watch the film to get a truer evaluation of that. But he did some nice things. He scrambled great. It's sort of sad when your quarterback's your leading rusher, I know that. But he did a great job of scrambling."

For the preseason, Brohm hit 21 of 37 passes for 203 yards. He had one interception (not his fault) and a passer rating of 61.0. Ryan Fitzpatrick was 15 of 23 for 138 yards with two TDs. He had a passer rating of 110.4.

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Besides Jackson, those sitting out for the Bills due to injury were safety Jairus Byrd, linebacker Reggie Torbor, tackles Cornell Green and Ed Wang, tight end Derek Schouman and safety Jon Corto.

Jamon Meredith started in place of Green. George Wilson started for Byrd.

Detroit was without six starters -- running back Jahvid Best, left tackle Jeff Backus, defensive tackle Corey Williams, middle linebacker DeAndre Levy and safeties Louis Delmas and C.C. Brown.

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Corto, the Orchard Park native, wound up missing all of training camp and preseason due to the broken left wrist he suffered during spring practices. He had surgery on it over the summer in which a rod was inserted into the wrist. Corto was hoping to be able to return to game action by the third preseason game but has not yet been able to practice with the team. His best hope to stick with the organization probably will be to be placed on the physically unable to perform list. That would allow him to start practicing after six games of the regular season.

Corto has been a mainstay on special teams the past two years. He tied for third in special-teams tackles last season. He switched to safety this spring after playing linebacker in Dick Jauron's 4-3 defense.

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Dan Gronkowski of Williamsville is battling for a spot on the Lions' roster. He currently is fourth on the Lions' tight-end depth chart. Gronkowski was a seventh-round pick of the Lions in 2009. He spent most of the season on Detroit's practice squad but was active for two games.

Gronkowski could be headed for the Lions' practice squad again. Detroit drafted tight end Brandon Pettigrew in the first round last year. He's the starter. No. 2 at tight end is veteran Tony Scheffler, acquired via trade from Denver.

Scheffler has 138 catches in four seasons. No. 3 is Will Heller, a 275-pound blocker who caught 29 passes last year.

Gronkowski, 6-foot-5 and 260, caught 29 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns as a senior at Maryland.

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Former Bill Eric King started at cornerback for the Lions. King is Detroit's No. 3 corner, but regular starter Jonathan Wade has been nursing a broken finger. King was a fifth-round pick of the Bills in 2005 and made the team that year. But he got cut in the Bills' 2006 training camp. King spent three seasons as a backup with Tennessee and played in five games for Detroit last year.

Another former Bills draftee, safety Ko Simpson, is fighting for a roster spot with the Lions. Simpson was a fourth-round Bills pick in 2006 and started 15 games as a rookie and 11 his third year.

But he was cut before last season and then hooked on with Detroit.

Simpson is coming off knee surgery and played briefly last week.

Detroit's starting safeties are Louis Delmas, a second-round pick last year, and C.C. Brown, a free-agent pickup. Simpson might be a candidate for the Lions' physically unable to perform list.

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Handling kickoff returns for the Bills were Joique Bell, Donald Jones and Chad Simpson. On punt returns were Naaman Roosevelt and Ellis Lankster. During the regular season, Roscoe Parrish will be the Bills' primary punt returner. The kickoff return rotation is less certain. It probably will be shared by Spiller and Leodis McKelvin.

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The big event in downtown Detroit was not the NFL exhibition. Performing just a couple of blocks away at the baseball stadium, Comerica Park, were recording artists Eminem and Jay-Z.

mgaughan@buffnews.comnull