Bills open new stadium with electrifying 41-31 win over Lions

Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR/WBEN) - The Buffalo Bills officially opened the new Highmark Stadium in style with a 41-31 shootout win over the Detroit Lions under the bright lights of prime-time on Thursday night.

After receiving the opening kickoff, the Bills were pinned deep in their own territory, but made quick work of the Lions defense to put the first points on the board. The drive was capped off by quarterback Josh Allen keeping it himself and powering up the middle for a 1-yard touchdown run, the first in Highmark Stadium history.

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The Buffalo defense got out to another strong start in this game, as the unit pushed the Lions back with the help of a third-down sack from pass rusher Greg Rousseau to force a three-and-out a punt.

The Bills offense wasted no time getting back into the end zone, adding to its lead after Allen managed to find wide receiver Joshua Palmer wide-open for a deep connection from 43 yards out to put Buffalo ahead, 14-0.

Jared Goff and the Lions offense tried to get something going on the next drive, but stalled out after Rousseau registered his second sack in as many drives, and then the Detroit quarterback failed to cleanly take a high snap and was forced to go to the ground for a loss.

Another drive for the Buffalo offense ended with a trip to the end zone, as the Bills extended their lead to 21-0 with another touchdown pass from Allen, this time to tight end Dawson Knox from a yard out.

After struggling offensively for the first quarter-and-a-half of the game, the Lions finally found their groove and got into the end zone with an 11-yard touchdown strike from Goff to running back Jahmyr Gibbs.

Buffalo's electrifying opening half didn't stop there, as the offense responded quickly with the help of James Cook, who took off with runs of 20 yards and 35 yards to get the Bills back into scoring position. A few plays later, it was Allen finding tight end Dalton Kincaid for a 16-yard touchdown reception. A Tyler Bass missed extra point made the score 27-7 in favor of the Bills with 2:52 left in the first half.

The Lions were able to tack on three more points before the end of the half, as a 31-yard field goal from kicker Jake Bates made it a 27-10 game as the clock struck zeros.

The Lions came out aggressive to start the second half, and it paid off with a 2-yard touchdown from Goff to wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to help Detroit inch closer on the scoreboard.

However, Allen and the Bills offense then became a slow churning unit, eating a ton of time off the game clock in the third quarter with a 15-play drive. It resulted in a 2-yard touchdown run from Allen to make it a 34-17 contest with just 1:07 remaining in the third quarter.

As the clock bled into the fourth quarter, the Lions responded with an 11-play drive that ended up in the end zone again. This time, it was Goff finding tight end Sam LaPorta with a short 1-yard toss to make it a 10-point game once more.

After, what seemed like, an uncharacteristic punt from the Bills, the defense managed to come up with a huge three-and-out stop of the Lions thanks, in large part, to a couple of pressures from defensive tackle Deone Walker.

The Bills then managed to continue eating clock, and even put an exclamation point on the night with Cook finding the end zone for the first time on a 1-yard scamper to make it a 41-24 game with 2:50 left.

With no time to waste, the Lions did get down the field in just 1:08 of game clock to cut the deficit back to 10 points thanks to a 27-yard touchdown from Goff to St. Brown again.

However, the Lions failed to come away with an onside kick attempt, leading to the Bills bleeding the rest of the game clock en route to the 41-31 win at Highmark Stadium.

With the win, head coach Joe Brady and his Bills team opens the 2026 season with a 2-0 record, the first for any new Bills head coach in franchise history.

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SCORING RECAP

First Quarter:

- 7-0 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (9:09) - Josh Allen powers his way up the middle for a 1-yard touchdown run. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 10 plays, 85 yards, 5:51

- 14-0 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (3:42) - Josh Allen throws deep to Joshua Palmer for a 43-yard touchdown. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 8 plays, 79 yards, 3:27

Second Quarter:

- 21-0 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (11:48) - Josh Allen scrambles and finds Dawson Knox for a 1-yard touchdown pass. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 9 plays, 57 yards, 4:09

- 21-7 BUFFALO: Lions touchdown (5:03) - Jared Goff connects with Jahmyr Gibbs for an 11-yard touchdown pass. (Jake Bates' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 12 plays, 70 yards, 6:45

- 27-7 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (2:52) - Josh Allen finds Dalton Kincaid for a 16-yard touchdown pass. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is wide left)
Drive info: 4 plays, 68 yards, 2:11

- 27-10 BUFFALO: Lions field goal (0:00) - Jake Bates' 31-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 8 plays, 65 yards, 0:39

Third Quarter:

- 27-17 BUFFALO: Lions touchdown (9:29) - Jared Goff finds Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 2-yard touchdown pass. (Jake Bates' extra point attempt is good)

Drive info: 11 plays, 74 yards, 5:31

- 34-17 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (1:07) - Josh Allen scrambles for a 2-yard touchdown run. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 15 plays, 75 yards, 8:22

Fourth Quarter:

- 34-24 BUFFALO: Lions touchdown (10:53) - Jared Goff rolls out and finds a wide-open Sam LaPorta for a 1-yard touchdown pass. (Jake Bates' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 11 plays, 66 yards, 5:14

- 41-24 BUFFALO: Bills touchdown (2:50) - James Cook runs to the right for a 1-yard touchdown rush. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 8 plays, 61 yards, 4:38

- 41-31 BUFFALO: Lions touchdown (1:42) - Jared Goff fires a 27-yard strike to Amon-Ra St. Brown for touchdown. (Jake Bates' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 7 plays, 68 yards, 1:08

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STATS OF THE GAME:

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What's next:

The Bills will have more than a week to rest and recover before hosting the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Sept. 27. Kickoff at Highmark Stadium is slated for 1 p.m.