DETROIT — Dan Carpenter tried to channel Rory McIlroy when he attempted a game-winning field goal Sunday afternoon.

The Buffalo Bills kicker lined up a 58-yarder and split the uprights with four seconds left, giving his team a 17-14 win over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field, where the visitors carried defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz off the field on their shoulders. Schwartz was fired as head coach of the Lions in January.

“It’s like a birdie putt, you don’t want to ever leave it short,” said Carpenter, who made three of four attempts. “I hit it really well and it went straight down the middle.”

Carpenter’s clutch kick came 17 seconds after Detroit kicker Alex Henery missed his third field goal of the half, a 50-yard try. Rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins made a juggling, 20-yard catch to move Carpenter at the cusp of his range.

Henery, the second kicker this season for the Lions after rookie Nate Freese struggled to find his accuracy, took what sounded like a warning from head coach Jim Caldwell, who said “this is the big leagues, plan and simple. If I don’t do my job … the same thing will happen.”

Henery said “I blame myself. As a man I stand up. As the kicker I have to make those kicks and I’m not looking to blame anyone else.”

Carpenter’s kick completed a grinding rally from a 14-0 deficit.

“We’re fighting through adversity,” Carpenter said. “It’s really hard to win in this league. It’s really hard to win anywhere but it’s that much harder to win on the road. A lot of games come down to three points or seven points or less. We’re finding ways to win and fighting through that adversity, maybe a bad play or a negative play. We’re able to bounce back from it and find a way to win.”

The Bills also appeared to find their quarterback. Journeyman Kyle Orton, who only started one game the past two seasons as Dallas’ backup quarterback, completed 30 of 43 yards for 308 yards and a touchdown in his first start of this season for Buffalo (3-2). Orton replaced 2013 No. 1 draft pick E.J. Manuel, who was benched.

What the Bills said:

“It’s not just the quarterback. Every decision you make, you’ve got to be able to go in front of the mirror and say I made this decision for us to win. Once you start making decisions for anything else, you’re going down a slippery path. In this league, you have to be strong and you’ve got to make a hard decision.” — Coach Doug Marrone on replacing quarterback EJ Manuel with Kyle Orton

What the Lions said:

“Anytime you leave points on the table in this league, obviously it’s bound to come back and haunt you. They did a great job of taking advantage of those opportunities. In this league, there’s no lead that’s safe. If you can’t extend (your lead), you’re going to have some problems down the stretch.” — Coach Jim Caldwell

What we learned about the Bills:

1. Kyle Orton might not be the long-term solution but he’s probably going to start at quarterback the rest of this season as long as he’s healthy. Despite not being with the team in training camp, Orton provided the offense with a steady hand that EJ Manuel rarely exhibited. He overcame an early pick six and methodically led them on a comeback that culminated with Dan Carpenter’s game-winning, 58-yard field goal. Rookie receiver Sammy Watkins said Orton was enthusiastic and in full command of the huddle, and that duo established a connection in Orton’s second start in three seasons. Watkins caught seven passes for 87 yards.

2. The defense can more than survive without All-Pro defensive tackle Kyle Williams. Defensive tackle Marcell Dareus and defensive end Jerry Hughes picked up the slack, notching five of the team’s six sacks against Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford. The Bills were able to generate pressure despite a four-man rush most of the way and the defensive backs were solid, except for a late 55-yard pass play. “Their effort was outstanding,” coach Doug Marrone said.

–QB Kyle Orton made the most of his first start as a Bill, completing 30 of 43 passes for 308 yards and a score. He overcame a pick six in the first half to gain a stranglehold on the job after coach Doug Marrone gave up on second-year QB EJ Manuel. “He’s a guy who exudes confidence,” tight end Scott Chandler said. “He knows what he’s doing out there and it’s easy to follow a guy like that.”

–RB Fred Jackson had a strong all-around game before exiting with a leg injury in the late going. The league’s oldest starting running back gained 50 yards on 11 carries and caught seven passes for another 58 yards. Backup CJ Spiller had just seven rushing yards in nine attempts. Coach Doug Marrone wasn’t happy with the run blocking. “We didn’t really do a good enough job of opening up holes for (Jackson),” he said.

–DT Marcell Dareus had one of the finest games of his career, recording three sacks and forcing a fumble. Along with harassing Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, Dareus also spearheaded the defensive effort that limited the Lions to 69 rushing yards. “We wanted him to be as uncomfortable as possible in the pocket,” Dareus said.

–CB Ron Brooks suffered a significant neck injury while covering a punt in the first quarter. Brooks landed on his helmet after being upended when a Detroit player was blocked into him. Brooks was removed on a stretcher and taken to an area hospital for further evaluation.

What we learned about the Lions:

1. The offense cannot finish drives without the threat of Calvin Johnson. The All-Pro receiver has been hobbled by a right ankle injury the past two weeks. The Lions survived with Johnson being mostly used as a decoy a week earlier against the New York Jets, but they only managed 263 total yards Sunday. They were shut out after Johnson exited the game in the third quarter after re-aggravating the injury.

2. The Lions need to go out and find their third placekicker of the season. After rookie Nate Freese faltered in the first three games, they signed veteran Alex Henery to settle things down. Instead, Henery cost them a game by misfiring on all three second-half attempts Sunday. Matt Prater, who was cut by Denver last week, should keep his cell phone handy. “It’s a performance-based league, plain and simple, and you have to perform,” coach Jim Caldwell said. “We’ll take a look and see if we can improve that, one way or another.”

–WR Golden Tate caught seven passes for 134 yards and a touchdown to lead the Lions attack. Tate did his best to pick up the slack for hobbled Calvin Johnson, who caught just one short pass before leaving the game. Tate caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Stafford for Detroit’s only offensive score and also hauled in a 55-yard pass in the late going. With Johnson potentially out for the short term, Tate will have to take over the role of No. 1 receiver.

–RB Reggie Bush gained only 13 yards on six carries before leaving with an ankle injury. He also caught two passes for 30 yards. Bush’s ineffectiveness prior to the injury hampered a rushing attack that was already working without Joique Bell and Theo Riddick, who were inactive. Coach Jim Caldwell said Bush’s status would be updated on Monday.

–LB DeAndre Levy continued to play like an All-Pro, making a team-high 13 tackles. No other player had more than six. He now has 51 tackles, 27 more than any of his teammates. He wasn’t impressed by his performance. “It’s frustrating whenever you lose, but I don’t think I played well enough to point the finger at anybody,” he said.