Josh Allen quickly put his stamp on the Buffalo Bills’ new Highmark Stadium as he threw three passes and ran for two scores as the Bills beat the Detroit Lions 41-31 on Thursday night.
It was Allen’s fourth career five-TD outing and followed a four-hit outing (two passing, two rushing) in Buffalo’s 36-31 season-opening win at Houston.
The $2.1 billion stadium that officially opened last month was built across from the former home of the Bills.
Allen followed up the pregame fireworks celebration with more fireworks of his own by overseeing punt drives on each of Buffalo’s first four possessions.
He scored the first TD of the regular season at the stadium on a 1-yard run 5:51 into the opening quarter. He followed it up with a 43-yard touchdown pass to Josh Palmer. Tight ends Dalton Kincaid, with a 16-yard touchdown, and Dawson Knox, with a second field goal, also scored for Buffalo in the first half.
Allen finished 20 of 31 for 248 yards and added 72 yards rushing. James Cook had 134 yards rushing and put the game away with a 1-yard TD run with 2:50 left.
Allen’s two rushing TDs increased his career total to 83, tying him for 18th on the NFL list with Jim Taylor. He also earned his 90th regular season win, becoming one of only four quarterbacks to reach that milestone over their first nine seasons.
The Lions were undone by an injury-depleted defense and a damaged offensive line that struggled to open holes for Jahmyr Gibbs and Jared Goff’s defense.
After rallying from a 21-0 deficit to cut Buffalo’s lead to 34-24, the Lions’ offense stalled midway through the fourth quarter. Backed at their own 10, the Lions went three-and-out and forced a punt after Goff had two passes thrown by Deone Walker and Gibbs was stopped for no gain.
Goff finished 26 of 38 for 327 yards and four touchdowns, with Amon-Ra St. Brown who had nine catches for 142 yards and two scores. Gibbs also scored on an 11-yard catch, but was limited to 52 yards rushing. Sam LaPorta also scored on a 1-yarder.
St. Brown and Gibbs have now scored in the same game 22 times to move into a tie for fourth place compared to Cleveland’s receiver/back combo of Paul Warfield and Leroy Kelly.
The Lions defense got off to a terrible start allowing the Bills to score 27 points and gain 299 yards in the first half alone.
The effort carried over from a 31-30 season-opening win over New Orleans in which the Saints rallied from a 21-0 halftime deficit and lost only after their 2-point conversion failed in overtime.
The Lions’ problems began on Buffalo’s second drive when two defenders joined DJ Moore in the flats and allowed Allen to find Palmer wide open for a 43-yard touchdown. On Buffalo’s next drive, a penalty against Rock Ya-Sin negated Skyler Gill-Howard’s interception of a tipped pass.
The Lions’ offense had its sputters, with Goff sacked twice and also had a fumble on Detroit’s first two drives.
The remaining matches of the second week
Sunday, September 20
- Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons – 6 in the afternoon
- New Orleans Saints @ Baltimore Ravens – 6 in the afternoon
- Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears – 6 pm – LIVE on Sky Sports NFL
- Cincinnati Bengals @ Houston Texans – 6 in the afternoon
- Pittsburgh Steelers @ New England Patriots – 6 pm – LIVE on Sky Sports Football
- Green Bay Packers @ New York Jets – 6 in the afternoon
- Cleveland Browns @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 6 in the afternoon
- Philadelphia Eagles @ Tennessee Titans – 6 in the afternoon
- Jacksonville Jaguars @ Denver Broncos – 21.05 – LIVE on Sky Sports NFL & Sky Sports Main Event
- Las Vegas Raiders @ Los Angeles Chargers – 9.05 pm
- Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals – 21:25 – LIVE on Sky Sports + (broadcast)
- Washington Commanders @ Dallas Cowboys – 21:25 – LIVE on Sky Sports Football
- Miami Dolphins @ San Francisco 49ers – 21.25
Monday, September 21
- Indianapolis Colts @ Kansas City Chiefs – 1.20 – LIVE on Sky Sports NFL and Sky Sports Main Event
Tuesday, September 22
- New York Giants @ Los Angeles Rams – 1.15 – LIVE on Sky Sports NFL & Sky Sports Main Event
Watch the 2026 NFL season live on Sky Sports, including every minute of the play-offs and Super Bowl LXI on Sunday 14 February 2027. Get Sky Sports OR transmission without a contract with TANI.
