Legendary broadcaster Al Michaels will call the Buffalo Bills’ first game at their new home against the Detroit Lions on September 17, marking the ninth time he has been part of a stadium’s ribbon-cutting. Michaels also discussed extending his Prime Video deal
On September 17, the legendary Al Michaels will call the first game at yet another stadium, as the Buffalo Bills christen their new home against the Lions. It will be the ninth time Michaels has cut the ribbon on a new venue.
Michaels framed the moment as something Amazon pushed hard for. tying it to the excitement of opening a stadium in front of a crowd.. “This was a game Amazon really pushed for because it would be so cool to open a stadium. and it’s also another Zelig moment for me. ” Michaels told Richard Deitsch of Sports Business Journal.. He then walked through a long list of past openings from his own career. saying: “In
my career at NBC and at Disney. I did the regular season opener in Foxboro [Gillette Stadium].. It was John Madden and I and that was our first game together.. We opened up the Linc in Philadelphia.. We did the first game in Dallas at Jerry World.. I did the first game when they refurbished Soldier Field in Chicago.. I did the first regular season game at Levi’s Stadium.. And Chris Collinsworth and I opened
up SoFi Stadium in 2020, the pandemic year.. It was Dallas at the Rams with no fans.”
For Buffalo. the stakes feel different heading into what Michaels called the first true Thursday night game of 2026. with fans expected to fill the building.. “There will be plenty of fans in the building for the first true Thursday night game of 2026. ” Michaels said. adding a joking aside: “(Unless hantavirus becomes a thing.. Or Ebola.)”
Michaels said he expects a strong emotional reception in Western New York. pointing to the community’s history of dealing with years at what used to be Rich Stadium and still maintaining passion.. “We know how passionate that fan base is in Buffalo and they’ve been able to weather through. in a manner of speaking. all of those years at what used to be Rich Stadium. ” he said.. “There’s going to be a tremendous buzz going on in that community.. I mean, the renderings look beautiful.. So that is going to be a fantastic night in Buffalo.” Michaels also noted that he worked the first games at the current stadiums in Atlanta and Minnesota.
Behind the booth, the familiar voice is sticking around for at least another year.. After finishing the last season of his three-year contract with Prime Video. Michaels and Amazon decided to keep it going for at least another year.. “It’s tough to walk away,” Michaels said.. “But I do know one thing: If I walk away. I’m going to do it the way John Madden did it and just say. ‘It’s time.’ I don’t need any sort of tour or whatever.”
The pattern across the stadium-opening moments Michaels described is straightforward: each new venue has come with a prominent first game he was part of. spanning regular season openers and major relocations. and those ribbon-cutting appearances have now reached a fresh new milestone for Buffalo against the Lions on September 17.
Al Michaels Buffalo Bills Detroit Lions stadium opener Thursday night 2026 Prime Video John Madden