The Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions are set to face off in just a few days, opening Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season as the featured game to kick off Thursday Night Football on Prime Video. Both teams are 1-0 and coming off intense matchups that took every bit of luck and execution going their way.
Now, Buffalo welcomes Detroit to the new Highmark Stadium for the first regular-season game in the team’s new home, and in what should be a raucous, college-like atmosphere in primetime.
What are the odds: Bills vs. Lions, NFL Week 2
Ahead of Thursday’s
game in Orchard Park, NY, FanDuel Sportsbook has the Bills as 4.5-point favorites (-4.5) over the Lions. As of publishing, the moneyline sat at -220 for Buffalo and +184 for Detroit, while the over/under was set at O/U 53.5 (-105 Bills/-115 Lions.)
We’ll only have to wait until late Thursday to find out it oddsmakers have this one figured accurately or not. There’s a kinship between Buffalo and Detroit as two proud rustbelt franchises that have an affinity for blue-collar attitudes, but also a far too familiar relationship with heartbreak.
Though each have found success in professional football from several generations ago, the Bills and Lions have yet to win a Super Bowl. In fact, Detroit has never played in a post-merger championship. Buffalo hasn’t played in the Super Bowl since the last of their four consecutive appearances to close out the 1993 season.
This will be the third time quarterback Josh Allen faces the Lions, dating back to the 2022 NFL season. Buffalo won both prior meetings, with the first taking place on Thanksgiving Day in November of 2022. Thursday’s game marks the first time Allen gets to play a home game against Detroit.
What happened in the last game between the Bills and Lions?
The last time Buffalo and Detroit faced off, NFL fans were treated to an all-time classic shootout. The Bills ultimately won 48-42, with Allen throwing for 362 yards and a two touchdowns, adding 68 rush yards and another pair of touchdown jaunts. Running back James Cook III was also a huge force on the ground, finishing with 105 rushing yards and two scores as a ball carrier.
Quarterback Jared Goff had one of the finest games of his career, finishing with 494 passing yards and five touchdowns through the air. Goff’s favorite target that day, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 14 passes for 193 yards and one touchdown.
Will the latest Bills-Lions matchup provide similar fireworks on Thursday? Don’t bet against the odds of a similar game unfolding in primetime!
Think you’ve got what it takes to make a play with the Buffalo Bills this season? Head to FanDuel Sportsbook to get started now!
