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'An out-of-body experience' | Bills players recap an unforgettable night in the Highmark Stadium home opener

Sep 18, 2026 at 11:27 AM

Mike Maynard

Seasonal Writing Associate

The Buffalo Bills defeated the Detroit Lions 41-31 in the first game at Highmark Stadium on Thursday night.

Here is what the Bills had to say after their big Week 2 victory.

The energy in the building was palpable

The first game at Highmark Stadium was filled with energy. Bills Mafia made its presence known throughout the day, making a huge impact on the eventual victory.

Parking lots were filled with seas of blue and red hours before kickoff, with fans flying through the doors to the stadium as they opened. Having the energy behind them fueled the Bills players, helping set the tone for an unbelievable night.

"These fans, they've been out here. We had meetings at 12:00, and they were out here, tailgating, ready to go," OLB Bradley Chubb said. "Whenever you could play hard, play fast in front of these fans, play together, that's all this city is about… And that's what we tried to do out there today, and hopefully we gave them a show."

As the team scored on the first three drives of the night, the noise continued to pick up. Buffalo fed off the electricity in the building held in by the canopy, keeping its foot on the gas for all four quarters.

"I can't put it into words. It reminded me a lot of being back at Penn State, at the whiteouts, like that crazy," C Connor McGovern said. "The fans are truly affecting the game. You saw, they had a bad snap, they had a couple of false starts, they weren't on the same page. They had a couple of communication errors. That's all to the fans."

Playing in a pair of preseason games, the Bills got to see a glimpse of what Thursday night would be like. The consensus in the locker room was that it completely blew all expectations out of the water.

"It felt like we were in outer space. It was an out-of-body experience," T Dion Dawkins said. "I don't know what they did, but all I saw was blinking bracelets and blinking lights. I said, 'Wow! This feels like we're in an IMAX theater.' It was cool. The fans brought it, and we felt it, and it was loud. It was definitely loud."

Late in the fourth quarter, "Mr. Brightside" played over the Highmark Stadium speakers for the first time. With all of the fans in attendance singing in unison, you could feel the building truly vibrating from the noise.

"That was a good opening "Mr. Brightside" showing," TE Dawson Knox said. "I know there'll be a lot, lot more of those. I can't wait. Looking forward to it."

"It was awesome, just seeing everybody sing it," added TE Dalton Kincaid. "I think it's probably the loudest one we've had, which is pretty cool to see."

James Cook III shows out on primetime

One of the storylines leading up to Thursday night's contest surrounded Lions' RB Jahmyr Gibbs and his explosive play. Buffalo showed why its RB is one of the focal points of the offense, with James Cook III tallying 134 yards on the ground with a touchdown in the win.

Cook III dominated the first half, with 101 of his yards coming in the first two quarters. He sprung off multiple big carries for over 20 yards in the process, using his burst and agility to cut to open space and long speed to pick up major yardage.

"It's great, just the way he sees it and can slowly read gap to gap and find the right hole," McGovern said. "Because so many of our runs are set for the cutback, and when you get him one-on-one with the corner outside, he's gone."

After not scoring in the first half, Cook III found the end zone for the Bills' final score of the game in the fourth quarter. The 26-year-old was relieved to put up six for his team in the win, truly capping off an impressive night.

"I needed it," Cook III said with a laugh. "Not saying I needed it, but you know, it just looks good on a stat book. But as long as we got the win and we keep continuing to go 1-0 every week, that's all that matters."

Cook III had a solid start to his 2026 campaign against Houston in Week 1 by putting up 57 yards on 13 carries. His one error came in the form of a fumble that was recovered by G O'Cyrus Torrence.

The former rushing leader showed why is he considered one of the top running backs in the league during the Thursday night win.

"He was incredible," head coach Joe Brady said. "Some of the plays down in the red zone, based upon some of the defensive personnel that they had, we had to get out of some of the plays. But it was important for me to get [Cook III] in there."

Keon Coleman steps up in DJ Moore's absence

Buffalo lost its No. 1 WR in the second quarter, with DJ Moore suffering a shoulder/stinger injury that took him out of the rest of the game. WR Keon Coleman was the next man up, coming through for his team in relief.

The 23-year-old tallied six catches for 63 yards in the win, coming through in the clutch to help solidify the victory.

"He stepped up tonight and made a lot of plays when his name was called," QB Josh Allen said. "There were a couple of third-down conversions that were huge, that really helped us."

Coleman dealt with a small injury of his own that forced him to the sideline briefly, coming back out shortly after and continuing to make plays.

The young wideout began the year with just one grab for one yard in Week 1, getting a chance to bounce back in a big way for his team when they called his number. He'll look to build off the positive momentum moving forward.

"It's about time that we feel Keon's presence, man, and Keon knows it," Dawkins said. "For him to go down, get back up, get back in the game, and do what he did, I love the kid, man. In this league, everybody's clock is different, and if his clock finally turned on today, we love him for it."