The Lions head into Thursday night short-handed in a place they can’t afford to be thin.
Detroit will be without right tackle Blake Miller and left guard Christian Mahogany against the Bills at new Highmark Stadium, while starting center Cade Mays is already on injured reserve with a broken wrist. In other words, the Lions are set to piece together three-fifths of their starting offensive line for the Week 2 matchup.
Buffalo has injury issues too, but the Bills enter the game with no one ruled out. Their only question marks are safety Cole Bishop, running back Ty Johnson and defensive tackle T.J. Sanders.
Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, on Prime Video in the first regular-season game at the new Highmark Stadium.
For Detroit, the biggest blow is the absence of Miller, the starting right tackle, who is out with a knee injury. The Lions took Miller with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Mahogany, the starting left guard, is sidelined by a hip injury.
That’s a rough setup for an offense already missing Mays, who was placed on injured reserve before the season because of the broken wrist. Detroit also has cornerback D.J. Reed listed as questionable with a foot injury, and that’s a situation worth tracking with starting safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph already out.
The Lions allowed 469 yards in their 31-30 overtime win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 1.
Buffalo, meanwhile, comes in after putting up big numbers through the air against a Houston defense that led the NFL in total yards allowed last season. Josh Allen went 20 of 29 for 334 yards and two touchdowns in the Bills’ 36-31 win, and Buffalo finished with 409 total yards, including 323 net passing yards.
As for the Bills’ injury report, Bishop is dealing with knee and groin injuries after getting hurt late in the second quarter against the Texans before returning in the second half. He was a full participant Monday, then limited Tuesday and Wednesday.
Johnson was limited all week with a hamstring injury after missing the opener against Houston. Sanders has knee and illness designations; he was estimated as limited Monday, did not participate Tuesday and was limited again in Wednesday’s walk-through.
He was inactive in Week 1.
Linebacker Terrel Bernard is not on the questionable list. He was limited all three days with a calf injury but got no game designation Wednesday.
Bills vs. Lions injury report
Buffalo Bills
Player Injury Game status
S Cole Bishop Knee/groin Questionable
RB Ty Johnson Hamstring Questionable
DL T.J. Sanders Knee/illness Questionable
LB Terrel Bernard Calf -
OLB Bradley Chubb Thumb -
DB Jordan Hancock Quad -
Detroit Lions
Player Injury Game status
G Christian Mahogany Hip Out
OT Blake Miller Knee Out
CB D.J. Reed Foot Questionable
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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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Bills Make A Game Day Choice That Says Plenty Vs Lions
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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 🡒]