Wk 2 · 2026
Detroit Lions at Buffalo Bills — Thu, Sep 17
Thu, Sep 17 ·
Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
· Prime Video FINAL
Weather
No forecast yet. 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.
at
8:15pET
BUF -5.5 · total 54.5 DraftKings opened -3 · 2.5 toward BUF
Ratings differential BUF by 4.8
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
W 45-21at ARIL 26-32at CARW 31-24vs NYJL 31-41at BUFW 31-30vs NO
2026 season
Bills form
W 37-34at LARL 26-29vs NEW 24-16vs LACW 41-31vs DETW 36-31at HOU
2026 season
Lions this season
Straight up3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Against the spread1-3-1 · 25% (5 games)
Over / under5-0 · 100% (5 games)
Bills this season
Straight up4-1 · 80% (5 games)
Against the spread4-1 · 80% (5 games)
Over / under4-1 · 80% (5 games)
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 W 31-24 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 L 26-29 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 6–1 · Bills has won the last 6
7 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
3.1 points toward Bills
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-09-17 | Lions 31 — 41 Bills | at BUF | Bills |
| 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 2026 regular season
| Passing | Jared Goff QB #16 | 109/161, 1214 YDS, 9 TD |
| Rushing | Jahmyr Gibbs RB #0 | 80 CAR, 353 YDS, 5 TD |
| Sione Vaki RB #33 | 9 CAR, 40 YDS | |
| Jared Goff QB #16 | 9 CAR, 15 YDS | |
| Receiving | Amon-Ra St. Brown WR #14 | 31 REC, 303 YDS, 5 TD |
| Jameson Williams WR #1 | 16 REC, 229 YDS | |
| Sam LaPorta TE #87 | 22 REC, 228 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Jahmyr Gibbs RB #0 | 22 REC, 187 YDS, 2 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Jack Campbell LB #46 | 33 |
| D.J. Reed CB #4 | 30 | |
| Chuck Clark S #36 | 28 | |
| Sacks | Aidan Hutchinson DE #97 | 3.5 |
| DJ Wonnum LB #98 | 3 | |
| Alim McNeill DT #54 | 3 | |
| Interceptions | Chuck Clark S #36 | 1 |
| Derrick Barnes LB #55 | 1 |
Bills leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Josh Allen QB #17 | 79/119, 1039 YDS, 6 TD, 3 INT |
| Rushing | James Cook III RB #4 | 70 CAR, 421 YDS, 3 TD |
| Josh Allen QB #17 | 33 CAR, 118 YDS, 7 TD | |
| Ray Davis RB #7 | 2 CAR, 6 YDS | |
| Receiving | Dalton Kincaid TE #86 | 15 REC, 270 YDS, 1 TD |
| Keon Coleman WR #0 | 14 REC, 217 YDS, 1 TD | |
| DJ Moore WR #2 | 12 REC, 178 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Khalil Shakir WR #10 | 15 REC, 176 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Dorian Williams LB #42 | 32 |
| Terrel Bernard LB #8 | 29 | |
| Cole Bishop S #24 | 25 | |
| Sacks | Greg Rousseau LB #15 | 6 |
| Bradley Chubb LB #9 | 1.5 | |
| Deone Walker DT #96 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | C.J. Gardner-Johnson S #22 | 1 |
| Dee Alford CB #23 | 1 |
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.