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Bills christen $2.1 billion Highmark Stadium in prime-time showdown with Lions
Buffalo opens its new home Thursday night against Detroit with two 1-0 teams, a resodded playing surface and one of the NFL’s most anticipated offensive matchups.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (Sept. 15, 2026) — The Buffalo Bills will host the Detroit Lions Thursday night in the first regular-season game at the club’s new $2.1 billion Highmark Stadium, a gleaming facility that has already been used for two preseason games and multiple practices. The franchise has resodded the entire grass field after early signs of wear, and the venue’s vertical seating and protective canopy are designed to amplify crowd noise as the old stadium sits demolished across the street. The prime-time presentation includes a halftime performance by OneRepublic and other game-night pageantry.
Both teams enter at 1-0 after dramatic openers. Buffalo defeated Houston 36-31 when its quarterback accounted for all four touchdowns and engineered his 26th career game-winning drive to seal the victory. Detroit opened with a 31-30 overtime win over New Orleans in a game decided when the Saints failed on a two-point conversion; running back Jahmyr Gibbs and receiver Amon‑Ra St. Brown each scored twice in that contest. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. EDT on Amazon Prime, with Buffalo listed as a 4½-point favorite.
Attention will focus on Buffalo’s run defense and how it handles Gibbs. In Week 1 the Bills surrendered 124 yards on the ground to Houston; David Montgomery finished that game with 60 rushing yards and three touchdowns, one of them on a reception, while Gibbs produced 156 rushing yards and had five catches for 30 yards in Detroit’s opener. Buffalo enters the season with Jim Leonhard installed as defensive coordinator after a year in which the team allowed 150 or more rushing yards seven times.
The matchup also carries historical and personnel storylines. Buffalo leads the series 8-4-1 and the clubs last met on Dec. 15, 2024, in a 48-42 Bills victory that combined for 1,080 yards and 90 points. Lions coach Dan Campbell’s teams are 14-4 in prime time, including 4-0 on Thursday nights and 5-4 on the road, while Bills first-year head coach Joe Brady will look to keep Buffalo focused amid the spectacle. Stat lines to note: Buffalo’s quarterback improved his career record to 41-7 when avoiding turnovers and owns 81 rushing touchdowns — the most by any quarterback and tied for 20th on the NFL career list — and Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson comes off his 10th multi-sack game in 57 career appearances.