Ralph Wilson Stadium is no more. On Thursday night, the Buffalo Bills kicked off a new era -- and a nicer, smaller venue outside which bundled-up fans will be put through folding tables.
Highmark Stadium is a $2.2 billion monument to western New York's commitment to its football team (and willingness to stick taxpayers with an exorbitant billfor a stadium that will hold fewer of them). It plays host to a raucous crowd Thursday night when it welcomes the Detroit Lions to town in a battle of explosive offenses and iffy defenses. It's a showdown between two teams with Super Bowl aspirations who held on to win thrillers in Week 1.
What can we expect from a huge primetime matchup -- and one that may have priced some regular fans out of the building?
Let's look at how each NFL team has done in the opening game of new stadiums dating back to 2002.
Alligiant Stadium, Las Vegas Raiders
Year opened: 2020
Opening game: Won, 34-24, against the New Orleans Saints
SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers
Year opened: 2020
Opening game: Rams won, 20-17, against the Dallas Cowboys. Chargers lost, 23-20 in overtime, against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta Falcons
Year opened: 2017
Opening game: Won, 34-23, against the Green Bay Packers
U.S. Bank Stadium, Minnesota Vikings
Year opened: 2016
Opening game: Won, 17-14, against the Green Bay Packers
Levi's Stadium, San Francisco 49ers
Year opened: 2014
Opening game: Lost, 28-20, against the Chicago Bears
MetLife Stadium, New York Giants and New York Jets
Year opened: 2010
Opening game: Giants won, 31-18, against the Carolina Panthers. Jets lost, 10-9, against the Baltimore Ravens
AT&T Stadium, Dallas Cowboys
Year opened: 2009
Opening game: Lost, 33-31, against the New York Giants
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis Colts
Year opened: 2008
Opening game: Lost, 29-13, against the Chicago Bears
State Farm Stadium, Arizona Cardinals
Year opened: 2006
Opening game: Won, 34-27, against the San Francisco 49ers
Ford Field, Detroit Lions
Year opened: 2002
Opening game: Lost, 37-31, against the Green Bay Packers
Gillette Stadium, New England Patriots
Year opened: 2002
Opening game: Won, 30-14, against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Lumen Field, Seattle Seahawks
Year opened: 2002
Opening game: Lost, 24-13, against the Arizona Cardinals
Reliant Stadium, Houston Texans
Year opened: 2002
Opening game: Won, 19-10, against the Dallas Cowboys
The overall tally? Teams opening a new stadium are 8-7 since 2002. Some good teams faltered. Some bad ones found a new gear to christen a new stadium. Ultimately, the data don't tell us much that can predict the chaos of a Lions-Bills game in primetime while the weather is still welcoming in Orchard Park, New York.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: How have NFL teams fared in first games at new stadiums?
