Allen, Cook put on a show, Bills triumph in housewarming

Thursday Night Football set the scene for the beginning of Buffalo’s new era, as they celebrated the opening of Highmark Stadium against the Detroit Lions, who entered on the back of an unconvincing overtime win against New Orleans to begin their campaign.

A full contingent of Bills Mafia got their money’s worth with the new home experience being made all the better by an easy victory for Buffalo, against a Detroit side who looked second-rate from the outset.

Riding the wave of energy inside the stadium, Josh Allen and the Buffalo offense made the Lions’ defense look invisible on their first drive, as Allen himself rushed for 40 yards and the resulting touchdown.

The result of the match looked beyond doubt before the end of the first quarter. Detroit’s first possession left a lot to be desired, going 3-and-out in a sign of things to come.

The Bills’ second drive was just as effortless as the first, walking the ball down the field as Allen found Joshua Palmer in acres of space for a score, reminiscent of his game-winner in Houston last week.

Just when an opportunity arose for Detroit to shift the momentum, a would-be interception, albeit deep in their own territory, was taken off the board due to a defensive holding call. Less than a minute later, Dawson Knox found the end zone and Buffalo led 21-0.

After finally compiling a formiddable drive into the red-zone, Jared Goff found the reliable Jahmyr Gibbs to get Detroit on the board. But the Bills could do nothing but laugh at how tough the Lions were finding it to score, as they made the Detroit defense look like a black hole yet again, completing a perfect first half with their 4th touchdown from 4 drives, this time through Dalton Kincaid.

The home team’s 27-10 lead at half time was only soured by a scary collarbone injury to star receiver DJ Moore, who went straight to the locker room for X-rays.

Dan Campbell was able to generate some life from his team to open the second half, as they gave themselves a glimmer of hope with Amon-Ra St. Brown’s 3rd touchdown for the year.

But as they did all night, Buffalo’s offense had the answer. A mature, 8-minute drive, consisting of 15 plays, ended with, you guessed it, Allen running in his 2nd for the night, putting the game beyond doubt and sending the home fans into a frenzy yet again.

Detroit remained persistent as Goff’s 3rd passing touchdown went to Sam LaPorta, but they ultimately squandered their only opportunity of the night to put genuine pressure on the Bills, going 3-and-out on a drive that could have brought the deficit within one score.

The professional Bills cruised down the field once again, as James Cook III deservedly got in on the action with a score of his own, capping off a 41-31 after St. Brown’s 2nd touchdown, with the scoreboard not reflecting Buffalo’s ultimate dominance on the night.

Buffalo look every bit the Super Bowl contender we all expected them to be, and the new Highmark Stadium’s atmosphere acted equally as well as a 12th man as the old one’s. They’ll take plenty of confidence out of this one and look to improve to 3-0 at home against the LA Chargers next week.

As for Detroit, their outlook looks very bleak all of a sudden. Whilst it could’ve been disastrous had they fallen to the Saints last week, it’s clear they are at least a tier below the league’s best teams. Having missed the playoffs last season and finding themselves in a stacked NFC North division once again, questions will be asked as to whether 2023 and 2024 were the best chance for this roster to go all the way.

Touchdowns
Detroit: Gibbs, St. Brown, LaPorta
Buffalo: Allen 2, Palmer, Knox, Kincaid, Cook

Top Performers
Detroit: Goff, St. Brown, Barnes
Buffalo: Allen, Kincaid, Cook III, Rousseau, Chubb

Injuries
Detroit: Maddox (foot)
Buffalo: Oliver (pregame, hip), Moore (collarbone), Solomon (unknown)

Crowd: TBC at Highmark Stadium