Buffalo Bills fans said goodbye to Highmark Stadium with the team's 35-8 win over the New York Jets in Week 17 of last season.
The venue served as the Bills' home for 52 years, starting out as Rich Stadium(1973-1997) before undergoing a few other name changes including Ralph Wilson Stadium (1998-2015), New Era Field (2016-2019), and Highmark Stadium (2021-2025).
The historic stadium officially closed on Jan. 4, 2026, with the team set to open its new $2.2 billion iteration of Highmark Stadium this September. When the Bills break in their new stadium, they'll welcome one of the toughest opponents on their schedule - the Detroit Lions in a Week 2 "Thursday Night Football" showdown on Sept. 17, which will air exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
The Lions finished 9-8 last season, but they’re one season removed from a 15-2 season and clinching the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Most expect Detroit to bounce back and be Super Bowl contender again in 2026.
"After years of anticipation, Bills Mafia will officially welcome football into the franchise’s new home in primetime as two of the league’s top contenders meet on the national stage. This will be the second consecutive season Buffalo’s home opener is played in primetime," the team wrote on its official website.
The rest of the Bills' 2026 schedule will be released on May 14. Given its Week 2 date, the team's Week 1 opener will likely be played on Sunday, Sept. 13.
Buffalo is 4-0 in its last four home openers, averaging 38.5 points per game in a 41-40 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, a 34-28 win over the Arizona Cardinals, a 38-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, and a 41-7 triumph over the Tennessee Titans.
The new Highmark Stadium is a state-of-the-art, $2 billion, 60,000-plus set venue in Orchard Park, New York. The open-air stadium will feature covered canopy seating for 65% of the seats, a natural grass playing surface, and fans will be seated closer to the playing field.
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