The Buffalo Bills are back in prime time Thursday night, and this one brings a clear contrast in style: Buffalo’s offense looking to keep pushing the ball downfield, and the Detroit Lions arriving with a battered secondary and a dangerous group of playmakers on the other side.
That shift in Buffalo has been a talking point already. On his new weekly radio spot on WGR-550 AM, Dion Dawkins was asked what feels different now that Joe Brady is the head coach instead of Sean McDermott.
"I love McD, McDermott is our guy, but McDermott was a defensive-driven coach,” Dawkins said. “Joe Brady is an offensive-driven coach and you can drastically feel it.”
Dawkins was careful to make it clear how much he valued McDermott, who coached the Bills for his entire nine-year run after Dawkins arrived as a 2017 second-round pick. But he also made the case that Buffalo needed a change, and that the offense under Brady could push the team to another level - maybe even to the Super Bowl, the one thing that never happened during McDermott’s time in charge.
That new approach showed up in Buffalo’s 36-31 win over Houston. Josh Allen threw for 334 yards, and the Bills completed five passes of 34 yards or more, including two touchdowns.
“Heck yeah, we love chunk plays, that's how you score 36 points,” Josh Allen said after throwing for 334 yards and completing five passes of 34 yards or more, two of those going for touchdowns. “You give yourself the opportunity to go score in four or five plays in a drive instead of the long 13-, 14- or 15-play drive.
That's also a way to win football games; we don't want to just try to live off the chunk plays. We want to be smart, and we want to take our opportunities when they're there.”
Those kinds of explosive plays could be there again Thursday night when the Bills host the Lions at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. Detroit just gave up 410 passing yards to New Orleans quarterback Tyler Shough, and the Lions are dealing with backup help across the secondary because of injuries, along with the release of cornerback Terrion Arnold, their 2024 first-round pick who ran into off field trouble.
Buffalo’s defense had issues in its opener, too, and Detroit still brings plenty of firepower. Jared Goff has Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and tight end Sam LaPorta at his disposal.
Here’s the broadcast and game info for Thursday Night Football:
Date: Thursday, Sept. 17
Start time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Where: Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York.
The game is an exclusive Amazon Prime broadcast, except in the local Buffalo market, which does not include Rochester. In Buffalo, it will air over the air on WKBW, the ABC affiliate on channel 7. Fans can also watch on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and on NFL+ - though that option only works on a phone or tablet, since casting to a TV isn’t allowed.
BetMGM listed the Bills as 5-point favorites as of Sept. 16. The over-under was 54.5, with Buffalo at minus-235 on the money line and Detroit at plus-190.
If you’re listening on radio, SiriusXM will carry the Bills feed on channel 192 and the Lions feed on channel 193. On the Bills Radio Network, Chris Brown will handle play-by-play, Eric Wood is the analyst, and Steve Tasker is on the sideline.
The Bills Radio Network stations include Rochester (WAIO 95.1 FM); Buffalo (WGRF 96.9 FM); Syracuse (WSKO 1260 AM); Albany (WOFX 92.5 FM); Utica (WKLL 94.9 FM); Dunkirk (WDOE 1410 AM); Hornell (WKPQ 105.3 FM); Elmira (WMTT 94.7 FM); Jamestown (WWSE 93.3 FM); Olean (WPIG 95.7 FM); Ogdensburg (WQTK 92.7 FM); Watertown (WOTT 94.1 FM); Bradford, Pa. (WBRR 100.1 FM); Cortland/Ithaca (WIII 99.9 FM); Auburn (WAUB 1590 AM); Geneva (WGVA 1240 AM); Binghamton (WENE 1430 AM); Newark (WACK 1420 AM); Cobleskill/Schoharie (WSDE 1190 AM); Williamsport, PA (WRAK 1400 AM); Erie, Pa.
(WRKT 104.9 FM); New York City (WEPN 1050 AM); West Palm Beach, Fla. (WESP 106.3 FM); Montreal, Canada (CKGM 690 AM); Ottawa, Canada (CFGO 1200 AM); and Toronto, Canada (CHUM 1050 AM).
Buffalo enters Week 2 off its Week 1 win in Houston, and the rest of the Bills’ 2026 schedule is set from there: Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Sept. 27; New England Patriots on Sunday, Oct. 4; at Los Angeles Rams on Monday, Oct. 12; at Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Oct. 18; a bye in Week 7; Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Nov. 1; at Minnesota Vikings on Monday, Nov. 9; at New York Jets on Sunday, Nov.
15; Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Nov. 22; Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday, Nov. 26; at New England Patriots on Sunday, Dec. 6; at Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Dec.
13; Chicago Bears on Saturday, Dec. 19; at Denver Broncos on Friday, Dec. 25; and at Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Jan. 3.
In Other News...
Bills Face A Thursday Night Health Concern Fans Can't Ignore
Thursday night brings a quick turnaround for Buffalo, and the first thing worth watching is the health report. The Bills are trying to get through a short week while getting ready for Detroit, and the latest injury updates around the league underline how much availability can shape an early-season matchup. For Buffalo, Cole Bishop is among the names already in the conversation as teams sort out who can go and who may be limited.
Around the rest of Week 2, several teams are still finalizing their own statuses, with confirmed outs and questionable designations already adding to the picture. That leaves the Bills waiting on the full board before the real picture of the game comes into focus, and on a Thursday night stage, even one key absence can change how both sides approach it. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Penalty Numbers Look Ugly But The Real Damage Is Up For Debate
A close look at the penalty ledger from Buffalos game against Houston makes the numbers look worse than the reality of how the afternoon unfolded. The Bills were flagged more often and finished with the higher harm total, but the breakdown suggests something more nuanced than a team simply beating itself, with most of Buffalos calls described as warranted and only a few turning into real momentum swings.
Houstons penalties carried their own bite, too, even if the raw count did not tell the full story. Two of the Texans flags stood out for how much field position and down-and-distance they altered, which is why the debate around this game is less about who was penalized and more about which calls actually changed what happened next. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Fans Get A Wild New Game Day Twist For Lions Opener
Bills fans heading into the first regular-season game at the new Highmark Stadium will have one more item to sort out before kickoff against the Detroit Lions: a reusable beer horn tied to the opener. The stadium will sell the exclusive horn, which comes with a 16-ounce Labatt Blue or Labatt Blue Light can, for $30, and it will be available only to fans 21 and older.
For a building that is already about to host its first regular-season game, the promotion adds a little extra novelty to an already big night in Orchard Park. Buffalo is also trying to keep its early-season momentum going and move to 2-0, so the opener is shaping up as more than just a first look at the new stadium - it is another chance to give the home crowd something to remember. [Read more 🡒]