The Bills will be playing their first regular season game at the new Highmark Stadium on Thursday night and the Lions drew the spot as the guests of honor for opening night.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell said on Tuesday that his message to the team’s players about getting the opportunity to be part of the festivities is to “drink it in [and] enjoy this.” He also said players will need to take care to avoid being overwhelmed by the situation.
“This will be one of those places it’ll be loud. Their fanbase is outstanding,” Campbell said, via the team’s website. “They are a lot like our fanbase, man. They love it and they show up and they’re loud and they’re all in and now you’re in a new stadium. It’s a new environment and this is the first one in that place — the christening. It’ll be special. I’m telling our guys to embrace it. Keep your composure. Don’t forget it’s one play at a time. Stay focused on your job and keep your head about you, but man, enjoy it.”
Buffalo would be a tough place to play on a short week in any circumstances, but the atmosphere will be even more heightened for this Lions visit.
Bills Clips
Bills wide receiver DJ Moore had quite the debut with his new team on Sunday, catching five passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. He also drew a 46-yard interference penalty in the end zone.
“This is a preview,” Moore said, via Tim Graham of TheAthletic.com. “It can only get better from here.”
It was Moore’s first 100-yard game since Nov. 24, 2024, with the Bears against the Vikings, although he needed overtime to get there. His last 100-yard regulation game happened Oct. 6, 2024, against the Panthers.
He limped off on the final drive and was in the sideline medical tent twice. He said once was to get “stretched out,” and the second time was to make sure he was OK. Moore returned to the game, and he is not on the Bills’ injury report Monday.
The Bills did not practice Monday but had to issue an estimated injury report with Thursday’s game against the Lions looming.
They list inside linebacker Terrel Bernard (calf), running back Ty Johnson (hamstring) and defensive lineman T.J. Sanders (knee) as limited.
Safety Cole Bishop (knee/groin), outside linebacker Bradley Chubb (thumb) and defensive back Jordan Hancock (quad) as full participants.
The Lions will have a quick turnaround from Sunday’s overtime win over the Saints to Thursday’s road game in Baltimore and they issued their first injury report for that game on Monday.
The team did not actually hold a practice, so the report is only an estimate that left guard Christian Mahogany and right tackle Blake Miller would have been out of practice. Mahogany injured his hip early in Sunday’s game, but Miller, who is listed with a knee issue, played every snap in the 31-30 win.
Ben Bartch replaced Mahogany after competing with him for the job this summer.
Center Juice Scruggs (knee) would have been a limited participant and cornerback Christian Izien (groin) would have been a full participant.
It’s hard to come up with too many examples of how thin the line between winning and losing can be than back-to-back plays that the Bills ran late in the fourth quarter in Houston on Sunday.
On a second down from the Texans’ 34-yard-line with just under two minutes to play and the Bills down one, quarterback Josh Allen chucked a pass into the end zone and Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter was the only player in position to catch it. Lassiter was unable to make the interception while stumbling backward, however, and Allen got another chance. He made good on it with a perfect strike to Josh Palmer for the game-winning touchdown.
“Hey, it’s football. What can I say? Sometimes the ball bounces your way,” Allen said in his postgame press conference.
Allen was 0-4 in previous trips to Houston and the Bills had not won there since 2006. That stretch included Allen taking eight sacks in a loss last season, but the Bills only allowed two this time and Allen had enough time to average 11.5 yards per attempt. That and a little good fortune made all the difference for the Bills on this trip to Texas.
C.J. Stroud threw for 274 yards and two touchdowns. He had a 106.7 passer rating.
The Texans quarterback also lost two fumbles on strip sacks by Greg Rousseau, and the Bills won 36-31 as Stroud couldn’t get them in the end zone despite a first-and-goal at the 9.
Coach DeMeco Ryans thought Stroud played well enough to win, pointing to the 409 yards his vaunted defense gave up. That included 334 passing yards by Josh Allen.
“C.J. was very much in control the entire game,” Ryans said, via texanscommenter. “Took what the defense gave him. Made great decisions with the football. Proud of the way he played today. He showed what he’s been showing all camp, that confidence, that growth. Was very calm, great demeanor, putting us in a great position to win the game.
“Unfortunately, we lost the football there two times. Don’t want those plays at all, but not going to let that overshadow the game that he had. Offense put up way more points than needed for us to win this game. Could’ve definitely played much better defensively.”
The Texans had first-and-goal at the Buffalo 9 with 25 seconds left, but Deone Walker sacked Stroud for a 9-yard loss. After an incompletion, Rousseau had a strip-sack of Stroud that Terrell Bernard recovered with 9 ticks left to end it.
“Got down there,” Stroud said. “Can’t get stalemated like that. That sack kind of made it tougher, but even then, we still had a chance. I’m trying my best to protect the ball but also to make plays. We needed seven right there, so I can’t be super conservative. I’ve got to be able to take shots. Sometimes it doesn’t roll your way. We’ll try to fix that and go forward.”
The Bills and Texans put on a show on Sunday afternoon. There may not be many games this season that are better than the season opener in Houston.
Josh Allen, who was 0-4 in Houston, threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Josh Palmer with 1:36 remaining for a 36-31 lead and then had to watch from the bench as the Bills held on.
The Texans had first-and-goal at the Buffalo 9 with 25 seconds left, but Deone Walker sacked C.J. Stroud for a 9-yard loss. After an incompletion, Greg Rousseau had a strip-sack of Stroud that Terrell Bernard recovered with 9 ticks left to end it.
The back-and-forth game had nine lead changes.
Allen ripped apart the Texans’ vaunted defense, throwing for 334 yards and two touchdowns as the Bills had 409 total yards. He nearly threw his only interception on the play before the game-winner, but Kamari Lassiter, who had a rough day, dropped the pick in the end zone.
Tight end Dalton Kincaid caught five passes for 130 yards and DJ Moore had five catches for 100 yards and a touchdown in his Buffalo debut.
James Cook ran for 57 yards on 13 carries.
The Texans gained 381 yards, but Stroud had the only two turnovers. He also lost a fumble on a strip-sack by Rousseau in the first half. Stroud finished 26-of-38 for 274 yards and two touchdowns.
The Texans showcased their free agent acquisition, David Montgomery, as he had 20 carries for 60 yards and two touchdowns and three catches for 19 yards and a touchdown. The Texans had 32 rushes and 38 passes, held the ball for 36:17 and went 2-for-2 on fourth down.
C.J. Stroud threw his second touchdown pass of the day, an easy 7-yard flip to David Montgomery. It was the running back’s third touchdown in his Houston debut.
The sixth lead change of the game has given the Texans a 28-27 lead with 13:34 remaining.
The Texans converted two fourth downs in the 13-play, 72-yard drive. Montgomery had a 2-yard run on fourth-and-1 at the Houston 37 and backup running back Woody Marks ran for 3 yards on fourth-and-1 at the Buffalo 22.
Montgomery now has 18 carries for 59 yards and two touchdowns and three catches for 19 yards and a score.
Stroud is 18-of-26 for 190 yards. He lost a fumble early in the game, which led to a Bills field goal.
The Texans and Bills are playing what could end up being one of the best games of the regular season.
The back-and-forth has led to five lead changes.
The Bills lead 24-21 at halftime, gaining 224 yards against one of the NFL’s best defenses.
Josh Allen, who is 0-4 in Houston in his career, is 8-of-11 for 163 yards and a touchdown, a 43-yarder to DJ Moore. He has run for touchdowns of 21 yards and 1 yard and has 24 yards on four carries.
Moore, an offseason acquisition, has three catches for 76 yards and has drawn a 46-yard pass interference penalty on Kamari Lassiter in the end zone that set up Allen’s 1-yard score.
James Cook has six carries for 37 yards.
The Bills have not punted, but Allen was stopped for a 2-yard loss on fourth-and-1 at the Houston 34 on the Bills’ first drive. Buffalo had to settle for a field goal after it had 12 players in the huddle on fourth-and-1 from the Houston 23 on its second drive.
The Texans have 215 yards, having punted once and have one turnover, which was a C.J. Stroud fumble on a strip-sack by Greg Rousseau that Ed Oliver recovered.
Stroud is 12-of-16 for 123 yards and a touchdown, a 12-yard pass to Nico Collins with 26 seconds left in the half. Collins has three catches for 46 yards. David Montgomery has 13 carries for 52 yards and two touchdowns.
Josh Allen is aware of his 0-4 record in Houston.
So far on Sunday, he is playing better than he ever has despite playing one of the league’s best defenses.
Allen scrambled for a 21-yard touchdown, giving the Bills a 10-7 lead with 12:46 left until halftime.
The Bills had chances to score on every drive. Allen was stopped for a 2-yard loss on fourth-and-1 at the Houston 34 on the Bills’ first drive; the Bills had 12 players in the huddle on fourth-and-1 from the Houston 23 on their second drive and settled for a field; and the Bills drove 62 yards on six plays for the Allen touchdown on their third drive.
Allen is 4-of-5 for 49 yards and has three carries for 23 yards.
The Bills have 106 yards after three drives.
The Texans were 29th in red zone efficiency last season, converting only 45.9 percent of their opportunities into touchdowns. They are 1-for-1 to start 2026.
Houston has taken a 7-3 lead on the Bills on David Montgomery’s 1-yard touchdown run.
It did take the former Lions running back three times to get in from the 2 after C.J. Stroud hit Nico Collins for a 25-yard gain on third-and-8.
Stroud lost a fumble on the Texans’ first drive on a Greg Rousseau strip-sack that Ed Oliver recovered at the Houston 32. The Bills, though, converted with only a field goal after having 12 players in the huddle on fourth-and-1 at the Houston 23.
The Texans stopped the Bills on fourth-and-1 at the Houston 34 on Buffalo’s first drive.
