The Buffalo Bills will open their new stadium with a “Thursday Night Football” matchup against the Detroit Lions, the Bills and Prime Video announced on Monday.
The Week 2 matchup is this season’s first TNF game and is scheduled for Sept. 17 at the new Highmark Stadium. Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit are expected to be on the call for Prime Video.
The Bills and Lions both enter this season with Super Bowl aspirations after finishing last season with top-five offenses. The Bills were defeated in the Divisional Round of the playoffs by the Denver Broncos, 33-30 in overtime. Buffalo spent the offseason bolstering its offensive and defensive units in hopes of making a championship run.
The Bills hired their former offensive coordinator Joe Brady as the franchise’s head coach after parting ways with Sean McDermott, and traded for veteran receiver DJ Moore to give former MVP quarterback Josh Allen another offensive weapon.
The Lions finished 9-8 last year and missed the postseason. They added longtime Kansas City Chiefs starting running back Isiah Pacheco this offseason.
The Bills-Lions game was just one of the matchups announced Monday ahead of the NFL’s full schedule release on Thursday.
Two of the Dallas Cowboys’ matchups were announced: a visit to the New York Giants in the first “Sunday Night Football” game of the 2026 season and a Thanksgiving Day tilt with the Philadelphia Eagles.

