Wk 2 · 2026
Detroit Lions at Buffalo Bills — Thu, Sep 17
Thu, Sep 17 ·
Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
· Prime Video
Weather
No forecast yet. This one is 20 days away. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
NFC North · no games yet
at
8:15pET
BUF -3 · total 52.5 DraftKings
Ratings differential BUF by 4.4
AFC East · no games yet
What is at stake
An interconference game, NFC against AFC. It counts in both overall records — which is what seeding is settled on first — and in neither team’s division or conference record.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The Gridiron King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
1.7 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two rosters that have
been through a draft and a free-agency window since.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense
Defense
Points / game
Points allowed / game
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The Gridiron King’s 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats
The box-score store these rows are built from has not been produced for this league yet, so no preview carries points and yards for and against. The form, trend and series blocks below are built from this site’s own files and are not affected.
Lions form
No completed games on record.
Bills form
No completed games on record.
Lions this season
No graded games yet this season. Lines are captured before kickoff and graded when a game goes final, so these records start at Week 1.
Bills this season
No graded games yet this season. Lines are captured before kickoff and graded when a game goes final, so these records start at Week 1.
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 6
| Opponent | Lions | Bills |
|---|---|---|
| Jets AFC | vs Wk 3 · scheduled preview | at Wk 10 · scheduled preview |
| Packers NFC | vs Wk 7 · scheduled preview | at Wk 14 · scheduled preview |
| Vikings NFC | vs Wk 8 · scheduled preview | at Wk 9 · scheduled preview |
| Dolphins AFC | at Wk 9 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 11 · scheduled preview |
| Patriots AFC | N Wk 10 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 4 · scheduled preview |
| Bears NFC | vs Wk 12 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 15 · scheduled preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, Bills leads 5–1 · Bills has won the last 5
6 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
2.0 points toward Bills
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2024-12-15 | Bills 48 — 42 Lions | at DET | Bills |
| 2022 | 2022-11-24 | Bills 28 — 25 Lions | at DET | Bills |
| 2018 | 2018-12-16 | Lions 13 — 14 Bills | at BUF | Bills |
| 2014 | 2014-10-05 | Bills 17 — 14 Lions | at DET | Bills |
| 2010 | 2010-11-14 | Lions 12 — 14 Bills | at BUF | Bills |
| 2006 | 2006-10-15 | Bills 17 — 20 Lions | at DET | Lions |
Lions leaders 2025 regular season
| Passing | Jared Goff QB #16 | 393/578, 4564 YDS, 34 TD, 8 INT |
| David Montgomery RB #32 | 1/2, 3 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Rushing | Jahmyr Gibbs RB #0 | 243 CAR, 1223 YDS, 13 TD |
| David Montgomery RB #32 | 158 CAR, 716 YDS, 8 TD | |
| Jared Goff QB #16 | 19 CAR, 45 YDS | |
| Receiving | Amon-Ra St. Brown WR #14 | 117 REC, 1401 YDS, 11 TD |
| Jameson Williams WR #1 | 65 REC, 1117 YDS, 7 TD | |
| Jahmyr Gibbs RB #0 | 77 REC, 616 YDS, 5 TD | |
| Sam LaPorta TE #87 | 40 REC, 489 YDS, 3 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Jack Campbell LB #46 | 176 |
| Alex Anzalone LB #34 | 95 | |
| Derrick Barnes LB #55 | 78 | |
| Sacks | Aidan Hutchinson DE #97 | 14.5 |
| Al-Quadin Muhammad LB #97 | 11 | |
| Jack Campbell LB #46 | 5 | |
| Interceptions | Kerby Joseph S #31 | 3 |
| D.J. Reed CB #4 | 2 | |
| Alex Anzalone LB #34 | 1 |
Bills leaders 2025 regular season
| Passing | Josh Allen QB #17 | 319/460, 3668 YDS, 25 TD, 10 INT |
| Mitchell Trubisky QB #10 | 25/35, 313 YDS, 4 TD | |
| Rushing | James Cook III RB #4 | 309 CAR, 1621 YDS, 12 TD |
| Josh Allen QB #17 | 112 CAR, 579 YDS, 14 TD | |
| Ray Davis RB #7 | 58 CAR, 275 YDS | |
| Receiving | Khalil Shakir WR #10 | 72 REC, 719 YDS, 4 TD |
| Dalton Kincaid TE #86 | 39 REC, 571 YDS, 5 TD | |
| Dawson Knox TE #88 | 36 REC, 417 YDS, 4 TD | |
| Keon Coleman WR #0 | 38 REC, 404 YDS, 4 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Cole Bishop S #24 | 85 |
| Jordan Poyer S #21 | 70 | |
| Matt Milano LB #58 | 67 | |
| Sacks | Greg Rousseau LB #15 | 7 |
| Joey Bosa DE #97 | 5 | |
| Matt Milano LB #58 | 3.5 | |
| Interceptions | Cole Bishop S #24 | 3 |
| AJ Epenesa DE #57 | 2 | |
| Christian Benford CB #47 | 2 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since signed elsewhere, been traded or retired still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game.