Bills 41-31 Lions: Allen five TDs, first night in the new Highmark Stadium
FINAL: Bills 41, Lions 31. ESPN: Allen 20 of 31, 248 yards, three passing TDs, two rushing TDs. Goff 26 of 38, 327, four TDs. Cook 134 rush yards.
Bills 41, Lions 31
Why this one matters: Week 2 opened in a building that had not hosted a regular-season snap. It has now. Buffalo 41, Detroit 31.
ESPN box: Lions 0-10-7-14, Bills 14-13-7-7. Josh Allen 1-yard rush for the first score in the stadium. Joshua Palmer 43-yard catch. Dawson Knox touchdown catch (ESPN recap called it 2 yards; the ESPN play-by-play lists 1 yard). Jahmyr Gibbs 11-yard catch, 21-7. Dalton Kincaid 16-yard catch, PAT missed, 27-7. Jake Bates 31-yard field goal, 27-10 at half. Amon-Ra St. Brown 2-yard catch in the third. Allen a 2-yard rush. Sam LaPorta 1-yard catch. James Cook 1-yard run with 2:50 left. Goff's fourth touchdown pass, St. Brown's second of the night, made the fourth quarter 14-7 Detroit.
ESPN recap, AP: Allen 20 of 31, 248 yards, three passing touchdowns, 69 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns. Cook 134 rushing yards. Goff 26 of 38, 327 yards, four touchdowns. St. Brown nine catches, 142 yards, two scores. Gibbs 52 rushing yards. Bills 446 yards. Lions 1-1. Bills 2-0. Next printed dates: Lions host the Jets on 27 September. Bills host New England on 27 September. Do not print a Sunday Week 2 score. Those games have not been played.
The stakes
The first Thursday of 2026, in a new stadium, between two clubs that had already scored in Week 1. Buffalo printed 41. Detroit printed 31.
The rivalry angle
AFC East host, NFC North visitor, a stadium opener instead of a rivalry.
Players who could decide it
ESPN: 20 of 31, 248 yards, three passing TDs, two rushing TDs, 69 rush yards.
ESPN: 26 of 38, 327 yards, four touchdown passes. Lions 1-1.
Did you know?
- !Bills scored on their first four possessions.
- !Tyler Bass missed the PAT after Dalton Kincaid's touchdown, which is why Buffalo had 13 points in the second quarter.
- !ESPN: Bills 299 yards in the first half, 446 overall.
Sources
Every score and ranking on this page is locked to a named source. If it is not here, it is not on the page.
