A new season means new chances to rewrite the record books, and it didn’t take long for us to have to start scribbling in ours.
The Buffalo Bills opened the season with a 36-31 win over the Houston Texans, and several of the numbers we were watching last week moved — including a couple that earned permanent ink.
Now the Bills come home. Not just home, but to a brand-new house as they host the Detroit Lions Thursday night in the first regular-season game ever played at the new Highmark Stadium.
So, sharpen
the pencils again. We have more numbers to watch.
Each week, we’ll open the Buffalo Record Book to four chapters: Sure Things, A Good Bet, Not Impossible, and Superhuman. Some weeks, we will have an entry in every chapter. Other weeks, we may be more selective.
This is one of those weeks.
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WEEK 2 — September 17, 2026
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Chapter 1: Sure Things
Nothing.
Yes, Josh Allen will extend his consecutive-start streak when he takes the field Thursday night. And, yes, there will be all sorts of firsts recorded simply because this is the first regular-season game played inside the Bills’ new home. But we aren’t going to fill space just because we have a chapter to fill.
Moving on.
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Chapter 2: A Good Bet
• Khalil Shakir receptions: Last week, Shakir needed eight catches to move past Robert Woods and Jay Riemersma on Buffalo’s all-time receptions list. He got halfway there.
Shakir caught four passes against Houston, bringing his career total to 201. Four more Thursday night gets him to 205 and moves the human pinball into 17th place in franchise history.
Four catches? After doing exactly that in the first one? Yeah. We’ll call that a good bet.
• Dawson Knox receptions: Knox also made progress Sunday, although it was just one catch for seven yards. That gives the Bills tight end 230 career receptions. Two more would move him past Cole Beasley and into 15th place on Buffalo’s all-time receptions list.
Two catches feels considerably less dangerous to predict than three did a week ago. Although I am not saying enter this in your parlay – don’t forget Knox is sharing the field with a host of legitimate targets for Allen this year.
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Chapter 3: Not Impossible
• Josh Allen keeps chasing running backs: Well, this one escalated quickly. Allen needed two rushing touchdowns against Houston to tie Frank Gore and Ottis Anderson for 20th on the NFL’s all-time rushing-touchdown list.
So, naturally, he scored two.
Allen enters Thursday with 81 career rushing touchdowns. One more would give him 82 and tie Corey Dillon for 19th all-time. Two? That gets Allen to 83 and another running back — Jim Taylor — at No. 18.
Again, completely normal quarterback stuff.
• Dawson Knox touchdown catches: This one didn’t move last week, so we’re trying it again. Knox remains at 27 career touchdown receptions. One Thursday would tie Stevie Johnson with 28 touchdown catches. A second would give Knox 29 and tie Jerry Butler for seventh on the Bills’ all-time list.
Apparently, Allen was too busy throwing touchdowns to DJ Moore and Josh Palmer in Houston to help us with this one. We’ll give him another chance this week.
• James Cook rushing yards: Look who escaped the Superhuman chapter this week!
Cook entered Week 1 needing 187 yards to pass Joe Cribbs and move into fifth place on Buffalo’s all-time rushing list. His 57 yards against Houston didn’t get him particularly close Sunday, but they still count. Cook now has 4,316 career rushing yards, leaving him 130 yards away from passing Cribbs’ 4,445.
One hundred thirty yards isn’t easy. But James Cook won the NFL rushing title last season. We’re certainly not calling it superhuman anymore.
• Bradley Chubb’s road to 50: Chubb’s first regular-season game in a Bills uniform didn’t get him any closer to this one. The veteran still sits at 48 career sacks, meaning two against Jared Goff Thursday night would get him to 50.
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Chapter 4: Superhuman
We’re leaving this one blank, too. No need to manufacture something ridiculous just so we can ask Josh Allen to throw for 600 yards or James Cook to run from Orchard Park to Detroit.
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There will already be history made Thursday night simply by playing a football game in the new Highmark Stadium. Let’s see who adds their name to the other pages while they’re there.
