The Buffalo Bills are set to open the new Highmark Stadium in style Thursday night, with a primetime Week 2 matchup against the Detroit Lions serving as the building’s first regular-season game.
The night comes with a full pregame and halftime production. Chloe Auliʻi Cravalho will perform “The Star-Spangled Banner,” while the Barenaked Ladies will handle “O Canada.” Beginning with the 2026 NFL season, the Bills will have both the United States National Anthem and the Canadian National Anthem at every home game.
The team is also staging its first halftime show ever, with OneRepublic set to perform and portions of the set airing on the national broadcast. Fans entering the stadium will receive special light-up bracelets that will be used as part of the show.
Buffalo Hall of Fame defensive end Bruce Smith will be in attendance as the team’s Legend of the Game.
For fans watching from home, the game will be available on television, streaming and radio, with full coverage listed for the United States, Canada and international audiences. In Canada, the matchup will air on TSN and a wide slate of CTV affiliates, and it will also be available to stream on DAZN.
International viewers can access the game through NFL Game Pass.
On the radio side, the Bills Radio Network crew will be Chris Brown on play-by-play, Eric Wood as analyst and Sal Capaccio on the sideline. Broadcast stations are listed across New York, Pennsylvania and beyond, including Buffalo’s WGRF 96.9 FM, Rochester’s WAIO 95.1 FM, Syracuse’s WSKO 1260 AM and New York’s WEPN 1050 AM, along with stations in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. SiriusXM will carry the game on channel 225 for the Bills feed and channel 226 for the Jaguars feed.
A Bills Backers Bar finder is also available for fans looking to catch the game out with fellow supporters.
The Bills-Lions betting line was also included in the game information.
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Bills Fans Get A Wild New Game Day Twist For Lions Opener
Bills fans heading into the season opener against the Detroit Lions will find a new concession item waiting for them at Highmark Stadium: an exclusive reusable beer horn that comes packed with a 16 oz. Labatt Blue or Labatt Blue Light can. The item will be sold for $30 and available only until kickoff, adding another bit of novelty to a day already carrying extra weight as the first regular-season game at the Bills new stadium.
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Dortch brings a little NFL mileage after stints with multiple teams and 12 games already on his 2025 resume, while Gore has been a steady presence on Buffalos practice squad since arriving as an undrafted free agent. The futures contract signaled the Bills wanted to keep him in the building, and this elevation gives him a chance to be part of the conversation in a meaningful spot, even if the bigger picture beyond Sunday is still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]