The Buffalo Bills opened their new stadium in style Thursday night, beating the Detroit Lions 41–31 behind a spectacular five-touchdown performance from Josh Allen. Detroit deserves credit for refusing to disappear after falling into a massive early hole, but Buffalo controlled the game from the opening quarter and had an answer nearly every time the Lions threatened to make things interesting.
Buffalo Comes Out Firing
Buffalo immediately established what kind of night this was going to be. Allen used his legs multiple times to extend the opening possession before finishing it himself with a quarterback sneak for the touchdown. Detroit’s response went nowhere, with Jared Goff getting sacked as Buffalo forced a three-and-out.
The Bills struck again on their next possession. Keon Coleman helped keep the drive alive, Dalton Kincaid picked up 25 yards, and Allen found Joshua Palmer for a 43-yard touchdown on third down. Just like that, Buffalo had scored touchdowns on its first two possessions and built a 14–0 lead.
Things continued going wrong for Detroit. Goff was sacked and stripped on the Lions’ next possession, although Detroit recovered the football. A muffed snap later left the Lions facing fourth-and-long, and Buffalo took over following the punt with excellent field position.
Detroit briefly appeared to have the break it desperately needed when an Allen pass ricocheted into the hands of a Lions defender in the red zone, but defensive holding wiped out the interception. Buffalo capitalized, with Allen eventually finding Dawson Knox for another touchdown.
Three Buffalo possessions. Three touchdowns. 21–0.
Detroit Finally Finds Some Life
The Lions desperately needed something positive, and Jahmyr Gibbs helped provide it. Detroit began leaning more heavily on Gibbs while finally getting Amon-Ra St. Brown involved in the passing game. The change produced Detroit’s first sustained offensive success of the night, and Gibbs eventually found the end zone on a seam route.
Unfortunately for Detroit, Buffalo answered almost immediately.
James Cook ripped off consecutive runs of 17 and 35 yards, putting Detroit’s defense on its heels before Kincaid found open space down the middle for another Buffalo touchdown. Every time the Lions began showing signs of life, the Bills seemed capable of immediately taking it away.
Detroit did manage to salvage something before halftime. Goff found Sam LaPorta, Amon-Ra broke off a big catch and run, and Jameson Williams added a 17-yard reception before the Lions eventually settled for a short field goal.
The first half belonged overwhelmingly to Buffalo, but Detroit at least gave itself something to build upon after the break.
The Lions Come Out Swinging
Detroit received the ball to begin the second half and looked like a completely different offense. A crucial fourth-down completion to LaPorta kept the opening drive alive before Amon-Ra took another reception down to the Buffalo 2-yard line. Goff immediately went back to his star receiver for the touchdown.
For the first time all night, Detroit appeared to have some genuine momentum.
Buffalo simply refused to let it last.
The Bills leaned heavily on their ground game with Allen and Cook before Kincaid produced another big play, this time for 23 yards. A Detroit facemask penalty pushed Buffalo even deeper into the red zone, and Allen finished the possession with another rushing touchdown.
It gave Allen five total touchdowns on the night, an incredible performance in which he hurt Detroit with his arm, his legs, his ability to extend plays and his decision-making.
One play later in the game summed up Allen’s night particularly well. Aidan Hutchinson appeared to have him wrapped up for a sack, but Allen had the strength to stay upright long enough to intelligently throw the football out of bounds. It wasn’t a touchdown or a highlight-reel completion, but it demonstrated how difficult Allen was to deal with all night.
Amon-Ra Refuses to Let Detroit Quit
If Allen was Buffalo’s driving force, Amon-Ra St. Brown became Detroit’s.
Amon-Ra ripped off a 34-yard catch and run and repeatedly became Goff’s answer in important situations. Early in the fourth quarter, another third-down reception kept Detroit moving. Buffalo appeared to have finally stopped the drive before defensive holding gave the Lions another opportunity, and a subsequent pass interference penalty placed the football at the 1-yard line.
Goff found LaPorta for the touchdown.
Detroit had cut Buffalo’s lead to 34–24 and suddenly needed one thing more than anything else: a stop.
The Lions got it.
Detroit forced Buffalo to punt, giving the offense possession with an opportunity to turn a game that once looked completely out of control into a legitimate fourth-quarter battle. Instead, the Lions went three-and-out.
That missed opportunity proved costly.
Buffalo Slams the Door
After getting the football back, Buffalo’s receivers continued making clutch plays to move the chains. Cook then exploded through Detroit’s defense, racing all the way down to the 1-yard line before finishing the drive himself with a touchdown.
Detroit had been given an opening. Buffalo made sure it wouldn’t get another one.
Still, the Lions refused to quit. Facing 4th-and-18, Isaac TeSlaa came through with a fantastic conversion to somehow keep the possession alive. Goff then found Amon-Ra for a 27-yard touchdown, his second score of the night.
Amon-Ra finished as one of the biggest reasons Detroit had any opportunity to fight its way back into this game. His numbers were impressive, but his impact went beyond the box score. His biggest receptions repeatedly came when Detroit desperately needed something to happen.
The Lions attempted an onside kick following the touchdown, but Buffalo recovered it. At that point, the comeback attempt was effectively finished.
Final Thoughts
Bills 41, Lions 31.
Detroit deserves credit for the fight it showed after halftime. Plenty of teams could have folded after falling behind 21–0 on the road, but the Lions continued battling, and their offense eventually found ways to attack Buffalo. Amon-Ra St. Brown was outstanding, while Gibbs and LaPorta also played important roles in giving Detroit life.
But the Lions simply dug themselves too deep a hole.
Buffalo scored touchdowns on each of its first three possessions, consistently found open space against Detroit’s defense and responded whenever the Lions generated momentum. Cook gave Buffalo a dangerous rushing attack, Kincaid repeatedly punished Detroit through the middle of the field, and several Bills receivers delivered important catches.
Above everyone else stood Josh Allen.
Five total touchdowns. Big throws. Crucial runs. Escaping pressure. Smart decisions when plays broke down. Allen controlled this game from beginning to end and has set an extremely high early benchmark for EST Excellence: Week 2.
Detroit fought.
Buffalo answered.
And on the night the Bills introduced their new home to the NFL, Josh Allen made sure it opened with a win.
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