1st Thursday Night Football Game of 2026 NFL Season Revealed Ahead of Schedule Release

The Buffalo Bills will officially christen their new home, Highmark Stadium, in Week 2.

The NFL announced Monday that the Bills will host the Detroit Lions on Thursday, Sept. 17, the first Thursday Night Football matchup of the season.

The Bills and Lions are routinely two of the most exciting teams in the NFL, so this one could have some fireworks. Both are also coming off disappointing 2025 seasons.

The Bills went 12-5 last season and reached the playoffs for a seventh straight season (and eighth time in nine years), but yet again failed to reach the Super Bowl in the Josh Allen era. That led to the firing of Sean McDermott, who was replaced by former offensive coordinator Joe Brady.

The Lions, meanwhile, went just 9-8 overall and missed the playoffs entirely, beset by injuries and a porous defense. The Lions fired offensive coordinator John Morton after inconsistent results on that side of the ball, replacing him with Drew Petzing.

Most of Buffalo's splashier offseason moves came on the defensive side of the ball, though trading for wideout D.J. Moore should make Allen's life easier. The Lions didn't make any particularly huge signings, though upgrading the trenches was a big focus at the draft.

Whether the Bills and Lions emerge as Super Bowl contenders remains to be seen, but it's certainly an exciting matchup to kick off TNF for the 2026 season. So long as the Bills have Allen they have a chance, while the Lions have an exciting suite of offensive playmakers. Hopefully these two teams will bring the fireworks to Week 2.