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Now, they're ready for the real games to begin.

The Lions kept 16 projected starters and several key reserves out of their preseason finale Thursday, but still held on to beat the Bills, 14-6, at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

They finished exhibition play 4-0 for the first time since 1990, when they went on to lose their season opener and miss the playoffs. In 1993, the Lions went 4-0-1 in the preseason and finished 10-6.

"Nothing," Lions coach Rod Marinelli said when asked what the undefeated record meant. "The winning part isn't the key, it's are we laying a foundation? That's the only thing. I've said it from Day One."

Brian Calhoun, a long shot to make the team, and on-the-bubble safety Greg Blue were the only injury casualties Thursday. Calhoun left on the fifth play of Detroit's first offensive series with a left quad strain, and Blue pulled a hamstring.

With their season opener 10 days away in Atlanta, the Lions were careful not to chance the health of most regulars.

They played three starters each on offense (Jerome Felton, Stephen Peterman and Michael Gaines) and defense (Cory Redding, Alex Lewis and Gerald Alexander), and kept key cogs including Jon Kitna, Calvin Johnson, Roy Williams and rookie Kevin Smith out of pads altogether.

With Smith and Tatum Bell down, Artose Pinner was left to carry the rushing load once Calhoun got hurt. He ran hard in his chance to secure a roster spot -- final cuts are Saturday -- but whiffed on a block when Dan Orlovsky was sacked late in the third quarter.

"Those type of opportunities you got to take advantage of," said Pinner, who rushed for 78 yards on 23 carries. "Whether it's running the ball or picking up blitzes, you got to make the most of those opportunities so it won't leave any doubt in the coaches' heads that they think they want to keep you and you know this system. Most definitely, I embraced this opportunity."

Orlovsky played all but the final series for the Lions, leading one second-quarter touchdown drive that ended with a 9-yard pass to Felton. He completed 11 of 17 passes for 105 yards, but failed to pick up a first down in four second-half drives.

Drew Henson, signed last week, played the final series. He completed his only pass to Kenneth Moore for 11 yards.

Defensively, the Lions recorded four sacks, two safeties -- one each by Corey Smith and Langston Moore -- and held a Buffalo team that dressed no offensive starters to two field goals and 228 yards of total offense.

They did not allow more than 10 points in any preseason game.

"It's really hard to move the chains on a team when you don't give up a lot of missed tackles and you're getting people on the ground," Marinelli said. "And then I think a key is you got to try to lead the league in effort, get a lot of guys to the pile, and that's part of the foundation I want to lay."

Safety Daniel Bullocks "came in and thumped" -- Marinelli's words -- in his first live action in more than a year.

Bullocks tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in what was to be his final snap of the third preseason game last year and opened training camp on the physically unable to perform list. He made five tackles, one for loss, and proved he can be a contributor in the secondary this year.

"After I made a few tackles I felt like Daniel Bullocks is back," Bullocks said. "I'm ready to get out there and make plays with my secondary and the rest of my teammates."

Gibran Hamdan played most of the game at quarterback for the Bills and finished 18-for-26 passing for 158 yards.