Bills 41, Lions 31: Allen Opens Highmark With Five Scores

September 17, 2026 - Orchard Park - The fireworks went off. Ten snaps later, Josh Allen walked into the end zone from a yard. First regular-season touchdown in the $2.1 billion building across the street from the old one.

The Buffalo Bills beat the Detroit Lions 41-31 and opened Highmark Stadium 2-0. Allen threw three scores and ran for two. It was his fourth career five-touchdown night, one week after four total scores in Houston. Detroit is 1-1 and never led.

Allen finished 20 of 31 for 248 yards. He ran 14 times for 69. James Cook added 21 carries for 135 and the last Buffalo touchdown. Buffalo gained 446 yards and 203 on the ground. Detroit had 355 and 66.

21-0, then a flag that stayed 21-0

Allen's first drive covered the new grass in scrambles. The 1-yard plunge came 5:51 into the first quarter. Drive two was a blitz up the middle and a 43-yard ball to a wide-open Joshua Palmer. 14-0.

Drive three should have been a takeaway. Allen forced one into Dalton Kincaid in the end zone. Roger McCreary deflected it. Rookie Skyler Gill-Howard intercepted it at the 5. Rock Ya-Sin was flagged for holding. Three plays later Allen hit Dawson Knox from a yard. 21-0, a lead Detroit never caught.

Jahmyr Gibbs finally got Detroit in with an 11-yard catch that capped 12 plays and 70 yards. 21-7. Buffalo's fourth possession still ended in the end zone: Kincaid from 16. Tyler Bass missed the extra point. 27-7. Jake Bates hit from 31 as the half expired. 27-10.

Kincaid caught seven for 95 and that score. Knox had the 1-yarder. Palmer's 43-yarder was his only catch. The Bills scored on those first four possessions and piled up 20 first downs before the break. They finished with 34 first downs and two punts.

St. Brown to 48, Allen to five

Detroit opened the second half with 11 plays. Jared Goff found Amon-Ra St. Brown from 2 yards. 27-17. It was St. Brown's 48th career touchdown, past Billy Sims for fifth in Lions history.

Allen answered with 15 plays and his fifth score of the night, the second on the ground. 34-17. Goff drove again and hit Sam LaPorta from a yard with just under 11 minutes left. 34-24. That was as close as it got. Cook punched in from a yard at 2:50. St. Brown's 27-yard score made the final 41-31.

Goff completed 26 of 38 for 327 yards and four touchdowns. No picks. A 130.0 rating. He was sacked four times. St. Brown caught nine for 142 and two scores. Gibbs ran 16 times for 52 and caught six for 61 and the first Detroit touchdown. LaPorta had six for 52 and the 1-yarder.

Aidan Hutchinson sacked Allen and forced a fumble. Derrick Barnes got the other sack. It did not slow the first half. Greg Rousseau had two sacks of his own. Avonte Maddox left with a foot injury in the second quarter and did not return.

Allen is the first player in NFL history with at least five passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns through two games of a season, per the Bills. His two rushing scores tied him with Jim Taylor for 18th on the career list at 83. The 90th regular-season win came in his first nine seasons. Joe Brady has two.

AthX Engine on a 203-yard ground night

AthX Engine NFL scoring already has the Week 2 lines in. Allen's five scores, 248 passing yards, and 69 rushing yards land at 67.09, the top total in this game. St. Brown is 52.00. Goff is 51.91. Hutchinson's sack and forced fumble are 43.00. Cook is 41.25. Kincaid is 40.25. Rousseau is 37.50. Buffalo's team line is 91.75.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for Allen in a stadium built around him, and for a Lions offense that piled up yards after it was already 21-0. They move together. They are not the same number.

Track Allen, Cook, Goff, St. Brown, and both clubs on the marketplace. The Chargers visit Buffalo on Sept. 27. The Jets visit Detroit that afternoon.

*Sources: AP recap (ESPN), Bills.com, Lions.com. AthX Engine Week 2 lines scored from nflverse weekly stats. Information only; not financial advice.*