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Bills

Final 41–31

Final · Home

Desk

BUF vs DET

Highmark Stadium · Thu, Sep 17 · 8:15 p.m. ET

Bills 41, Lions 31. Allen five TDs in the new house — and a 9-score, 0-turnover start

Week 2

The night the start became a story

Five Allen scores in the new house. Cook’s 135. Walker’s bats. Historic through two — from the public box

Player storylines

Thursday night names

Allen — 5 TD night

20/31, 248, 3 passing TDs, 0 INTs; 14–69–2. Through two: 9 total TDs, 0 turnovers

Cook — 21–135–1

The home-opener run game. Already on this recap

Walker’s bats, Gibbs to ~52

Four sacks. 3-and-out from the Lions 10, ~8:00 left, BUF up 34–24. TSN: Gibbs about 52 yards on 16 carries

Historic / notable

Nine and zero, and a new bowl

First ever

5+ pass + 3+ rush through two

First player to open a season that way (Bills.com / CBS). Third with 9+ total TDs and 0 turnovers to open (Manning 2013, Mahomes 2018)

Yardbarker / CBS / Bills.com

New house

First Highmark opener: 5-TD night

Allen’s fourth career 3+ pass TD + 2+ rush TD game. Only Kordell Stewart has multiple besides him

From the public box · CBS

Watch next

Ten days, then Chargers

Next

Highmark · 1 p.m. · FOX

Sun, Sep 27 vs. Los Angeles. Dual-threat continuity, Leonhard’s D, first statement Sunday. No line

Bills.com schedule

From the week

Five in the new house, nine through two

Allen’s 20-of-31, 248, 3 passing TDs and 14–69–2 on the ground made the historic start official. Detroit also hung 31. The bats and Gibbs’s night are the defensive card

Week 2 · Thu, Sep 17 · 8:15 p.m. ET · Highmark · Prime Video

Historic start

5 TDs Thursday, 9 and 0 through two

20/31, 248 yards, 3 passing TDs, 0 INTs; 14 rushes, 69 yards, 2 TDs. Through two: 5 pass + 4 rush, 0 turnovers. First player with 5+ passing and 3+ rushing TDs through two games. Third to open 9+ total TDs with 0 giveaways (Manning 2013, Mahomes 2018)

From the public box · CBS Sports / Yardbarker / Bills.com

The stop

Walker’s bats, Gibbs to ~52

Four sacks on the night. Walker’s bat-downs forced a Lions three-and-out from their own 10 with about 8:00 left, Buffalo up 34–24. TSN: Jahmyr Gibbs about 52 yards on 16 carries

TSN / FantasyPros coverage / public box

Honest D

31 allowed again

Goff 327 and four scores. St. Brown 9–142–2. Two games, 62 points against. 2–0 is real. A shutdown is not

From the public box

W–L

2–0

AFC East · GB

1st —

Streak

W2

L5

2–0

Point diff

+15

Alone atop the East. Jets 1–0, half-game back — GB game still open Sep 20. Patriots 1–1 after W 20–3 vs PIT. Dolphins 0–1, 1.5 GB, at SF later. Point diff +15.

17 · Allen

5 TD to open the house

4 · Cook

21–135–1

Preview

Why this week

Thursday night, new stadium, 1–0 vs 1–0. A win makes Buffalo 2–0 and gives the new house a first memory that is not a ceremony. Allen’s five scores also closed a two-game start CBS and Yardbarker called historic: 9 total TDs, 0 turnovers. A loss would have been 1–1 with ten days to sit in it

  • Final: BUF 41, DET 31 at Highmark Stadium
  • Allen 20/31, 248, 3 pass TD, 0 INT; 14 rush, 69, 2 TD. Through two: 9 total TDs, 0 turnovers
  • Cook 21–135–1. Kincaid 7–95–1. Gibbs held to about 52 yards on 16 carries (TSN)
  • First regular-season game in the new stadium. Walker bats → Lions 3-and-out from their 10, ~8:00 left, BUF up 34–24

Recap

41–31: the new house opens, Buffalo is 2–0

Josh Allen threw three touchdown passes and ran for two scores in the first regular-season game at Highmark Stadium — 20-of-31, 248 yards, 0 INTs; 14 rushes, 69 yards. Through two games that is 9 total touchdowns and 0 turnovers: 5 passing, 4 rushing. CBS and Yardbarker: third player to open a season 9+ total TDs and 0 turnovers (Manning 2013, Mahomes 2018). Bills.com / CBS: first player with 5+ passing TDs and 3+ rushing TDs through two games. This was also Allen’s fourth career game with 3+ passing TDs and 2+ rushing TDs; only Kordell Stewart has multiple such games besides him. James Cook ran 21 times for 135 yards and a touchdown. Dalton Kincaid caught 7 for 95 and a score. The defensive card was honest and timely: 31 allowed again, four sacks, Walker’s bat-downs into a Lions three-and-out from their own 10 with about 8:00 left (Buffalo up 34–24), and Jahmyr Gibbs held to about 52 yards on 16 carries (TSN). Detroit left 1–1; Jared Goff threw for 327 yards and four touchdowns. Scoring: DET 0–10–7–14, BUF 14–13–7–7. Joe Brady became the first coach in Bills history to start his tenure 2–0 — still calling the plays. Sources: the public box, ESPN recap 401872932, CBS Sports, Yardbarker, Bills.com, TSN

Josh Allen · 20/31, 248 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT; 14 rush, 69 yards, 2 TD — Through two: 9 total TDs, 0 turnovers. From the public Lions box / CBS / Yardbarker

James Cook · 21 carries, 135 yards, 1 TD — The home-opener run game

Late Lions push · Goff 26/38, 327, 4 TD — Amon-Ra St. Brown 9–142–2. The 41–31 was not a cruise

Home Sunday math

Highmark is an outdoor bowl. Hidden yards live in hang time and which end you want late

Three to watch

  1. 01

    Five-TD night, historic through two

    Allen’s fourth career game with 3+ passing TDs and 2+ rushing TDs — only Kordell Stewart has multiple such games besides him. Through two: 5 pass + 4 rush, 0 turnovers (CBS / Yardbarker / Bills.com)

  2. 02

    Walker’s bats from the 10

    Four sacks. Bat-downs forced a Lions three-and-out from their own 10 with about 8:00 left, Buffalo up 34–24. TSN: Gibbs about 52 yards on 16 carries

  3. 03

    2–0 Brady, headset on

    Public recap: first Bills coach to start a tenure 2–0. Garafolo / SI: he is still the play-caller

From the card

“Allen threw three touchdown passes and ran for two scores, and the Bills beat the Detroit Lions 41-31 in the first regular-season game at Highmark Stadium”

Public recap

ESPN recap 401872932 ↗

“Next: Bills vs. Chargers Sunday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. ET”

Club report

buffalobills.com Week 2 report ↗

Venue / TV

Highmark Stadium

Orchard Park, NY · outdoor bowl

Final

TV: Prime Video.