Sing-alongs, cheers fill the air at Bills’ home opener at Highmark Stadium
There was a festive atmosphere outside Highmark Stadium Sept. 18 as the Buffalo Bills get set to host the Detroit Lions at the 2026 home opener.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – They opened a new Highmark Stadium on Thursday night in ideal fashion for the Bills Mafia.
With fireworks.
And not merely the pyrotechnics that light up the sky. Buffalo christened its new home with an explosive show of offense led by Josh Allen – who else? – as it pummeled the Detroit Lions 41-31 in the regular-season opener.
Allen marked his new home territory by accounting for five touchdowns – three passing and two rushing – and leaving no doubt that the Bills (2-0) are poised to make their first season at the new stadium something special.
Meanwhile, the Lions (1-1) are reeling with an undermanned defense that has allowed 71 points in its past six quarters.
A review of winners and losers:
WINNERS
Josh Allen
It’s never too early – at least in these parts – to strike up the “MVP!” chant. And the Bills quarterback inspired the raucous crowd with another scintillating performance that carried the home team. Allen produced 317 passing and rushing yards, and threw for three TDs while running for two. Through two games, Allen (the NFL’s MVP in 2024) has accounted for nine touchdowns with zero turnovers. Yes, he is stating his case.
Greg Rousseau
With two sacks and another forced fumble, the Bills edge rusher continued his torrid start to the season. Rousseau sealed the victory at Houston on Sunday with his strip-sack of C.J. Stroud, and finished with two sacks, five quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and two tackles for a loss. Then came Thursday night. More terror unleashed on the opposing quarterback. After two games, Buffalo’s 2021 first-round pick has quickly vaulted himself, like Allen, into the conversation for major postseason honors.
Joshua Palmer
For the second consecutive week – and on his second consecutive catch – the Bills’ No. 4 receiver struck for a long-distance touchdown. In the first quarter a wide-open Palmer took advantage of busted coverage to notch his first catch of the game (on his first snap) in snagging a 43-yard pass from Allen to make it 14-0 with the conversion. On his last catch at Houston on Sunday, Palmer grabbed the 34-yard throw from Allen in the final two minutes that provided the winning points. Talk about making the most of limited snaps. That’s the red-hot Palmer about now.
James Cook
The Bills running back rushed for 101 yards – in the first half. On a night when the NFL’s highest-paid running back was on the field in the form of the Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs, Cook seemed hardly content with second billing. Cook finished with 135 rushing yards and averaged a whopping 6.4 yards per carry.
Dalton Kincaid
The fourth-year tight end was undeniably Allen’s go-to target (again), leading the Bills with seven catches for 95 yards, with a touchdown. This after Kincaid posted five catches for 130 yards in Week 1. The reliability was especially crucial on a night the Bills lost No. 1 receiver D.J. Moore to a shoulder injury.
Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown
It started on a downer. But give it Goff and St. Brown, who did much to demonstrate that they were not about to allow their team to quit after falling into a 21-0 hole. Goff passed for 327 yards and four touchdowns. St. Brown hauled in nine passes for 142 yards and two TDs. But it was too deep of a hole. And the stat sheet doesn’t show how the Lions repeatedly stung themselves with penalties…and the defense was not quite ready for primetime.
Deone Walker
With Ed Oliver scratched because of a hip injury, the second-year pro continued to demonstrate that the Bills still have an anchor in the middle of the defensive line.
Bills Mafia
The palace they’ve been waiting for – the new Highmark Stadium – was christened before a national audience in primetime. While it’s smaller than the old Highmark across the street, it has the latest amenities and acoustics that make the home stadium louder. For a $2.2 billion price tag, including a hefty contribution from taxpayers, good that they didn’t overlook the detail of protecting a large portion the fans from the elements with the overhanging roof. It was also apropos for the Bills to mark the occasion during pregame festivities by having dozens of fans unfurl banners that paid homage to the Bills Mafia and with an oversized patch that commemorated the inaugural season at the new digs.
LOSERS
Kelvin Sheppard
The second-year Lions defensive coordinator, working with a depleted secondary, had no answers for Allen & Co. The Bills racked up 448 total yards – and it felt like more – as they punished Detroit through the air and on the ground and put up seven touchdowns. What a wakeup call. The Lions still need a defense to stay competitive.
Lions secondary
It keeps raining and pouring. Already undermanned in starting the season without its injured tandem of top-notch safeties (Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph), it was scorched by Josh Allen for three TD passes in the first half, when it lost fill-in starting safety Avonte Maddox to a foot injury. Detroit entered the game ranked last in the NFL against the pass after Saints quarterback Tyler Shough stung it for 410 yards and three TDs in Week 1. And for an encore came Allen.
Ed Oliver
Buffalo’s all-pro defensive tackle missed the grand occasion after sustaining a hip injury during pregame warmups. It was a tough blow for the Bills to miss the anchor of the D-line – just days after his impressive outing during the victory against the Texans. Oliver played 82% of the snaps at Houston, more than any Buffalo D-lineman, and registered five tackles (one for loss), a quarterback hit and a fumble recovery. The Bills undoubtedly hope Oliver’s absence isn’t as prolonged as the setback last season, when he went on injured reserve in October due to a torn biceps and didn’t return until the playoffs.
Jameson Williams
On a night when the Lions needed every big play they could get, the talented receiver barely made his presence felt and finished with two catches for 33 yards. Maybe the film will show that Buffalo schemed to take Williams away. Or maybe not.
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