How to Watch Lions vs. Bills: Streaming, Time for Thursday Night Football

The Detroit Lions visit the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026 at 8:15 p.m. ET from Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. Both teams enter at 1-0, with Buffalo coming off a 36-31 win at Houston and Detroit off a 31-point opener. Buffalo’s offense set the tone in Week 1. Josh Allen threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, added two rushing scores and finished with 36 points against the Texans. Detroit matched that pace on the other side of the ball. Jared Goff threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, while Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 156 yards and two scores and Amon-Ra St. Brown added two receiving touchdowns. The Bills are 5.5-point favorites over the Lions at DraftKings, with a total of 55.5 and a moneyline of -238 for Buffalo and +196 for Detroit. The spread has moved from Bills -3 at open to -5.5, the moneyline from -162 to -238, and the total from 52.5 to 55.5. How to Watch Lions vs. Bills Players to Watch Buffalo’s offense already looks explosive, and Allen is the reason Detroit has to prepare for chaos on every snap. In the Bills’ Week 1 win, he threw for 320 yards and 3 touchdowns on 24 of 33 passing, then added a rushing score as Buffalo piled up 41 points and 470 total yards. Detroit allowed 30 points in its opener even while generating 5 sacks and 3 takeaways, so Allen’s job is to keep pushing the tempo without feeding that Lions front free possessions. Sustained drives and red-zone finishes give Buffalo its clearest path to controlling this Thursday night game. When Detroit leans hard toward stopping the pass, Cook becomes Buffalo’s second hammer. He ripped off 115 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries in Week 1, and the Bills averaged better than 5 yards per rush as a team in the opener. Detroit’s defense came out aggressive with 5 sacks and 3 takeaways, the kind of front that can force quarterbacks into long-yardage spots. A back who keeps the offense on schedule and wins early downs takes pressure off Allen and keeps the Lions from teeing off all night. Detroit still has enough offensive balance to push Buffalo, and Goff’s decision-making decides whether the Lions stay in the shootout. In Week 1 he threw for 225 yards and 2 touchdowns, completing 23 of 32 passes while Detroit scored 30 points. Buffalo just gave up 31 points in its opener even while forcing 2 takeaways and recording 3 sacks, so the window is there if Goff stays clean. Timing throws and avoiding the empty drives that come with negative plays keep Detroit’s offense from stalling against a Bills defense that can still flip field position. Goff’s Week 1 tone-setter in the passing game was St. Brown, and that connection is Detroit’s cleanest path to chunk plays here. He caught 8 of 10 targets for 89 yards and a touchdown in the opener, operating as the Lions’ primary rhythm receiver. Buffalo allowed 26 completions on 38 targets and 31 points in Week 1, which puts a premium on a receiver who can win early and finish drives. St. Brown giving Goff a reliable outlet on intermediate routes helps Detroit stay ahead of the chains against a Bills front that still generates pressure. Lions vs. Bills Odds Check out the full NFL schedule on FOX Sports.