Lions vs Bills opens Thursday Night Football at new Highmark Stadium
Two unbeaten teams get the Thursday night slot to themselves. The Detroit Lions visit the Buffalo Bills at 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday, September 17, to open the 2026 Thursday Night Football season.
The game pairs Bills quarterback Josh Allen against Lions quarterback Jared Goff. Both clubs won their Week 1 games, according to Deadline. Kickoff is at the new Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.
National viewing sits with Prime Video. It is the fifth season of exclusive Thursday Night Football on the streamer, meaning the national feed lives only on Prime Video, with pregame coverage, TNF Tonight, starting at 7:00 p.m. ET, Prime Video said. Fans in the local markets of the two teams can also watch free on over-the-air TV, meaning channels picked up with an aerial and no subscription.
There are other routes in. The game streams on Twitch on Prime Video's channel, and NFL+ carries it on mobile devices. In Buffalo, the game will be televised on WKBW Channel 7, the local ABC station, the Bills said, while the club's schedule lists Prime Video for television and 97 Rock for radio.
Al Michaels and analyst Kirk Herbstreit will call the main broadcast, with Kaylee Hartung reporting from the sideline. Charissa Thompson hosts the pregame, halftime and postgame programme with analysts Tony Gonzalez, Richard Sherman, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth. Prime Video also offers TNF en Espanol with announcer Miguel Gurwitz and analyst Rolando Cantu.
For Buffalo, the night doubles as a housewarming. The September 17 game is the Bills' home opener for 2026, and the team lists the theme for the night as "Inaugural Season". OneRepublic will play the half-time show, organised as the first-ever half-time performance at the new Highmark Stadium, according to the Bills.
For fans, this means an early form guide and a first look at a new building in one broadcast. Bookmakers list Buffalo as 5-point favourites with an over/under, meaning the combined points total set for betting, of 54.5 points, per Pro-Football-Reference.
