Eight Players Critical to Bills' Success vs. Lions in Highmark Stadium Opener

Buffalo will have its hands full with Detroit during the team's inaugural home opener at the new $2.2 billion stadium on Thursday, and these players will play key roles in the matchup.

Aug 23, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Deone Walker (96) looks on after a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Buffalo Bills narrowly escaped with a victory on Sunday afternoon against the Houston Texans in the season-opening game at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, but a win is a win in the National Football League.

And, nobody within the Bills’ locker room is going to relinquish the hard-fought victory, especially not quarterback Josh Allen or first-year head coach Joe Brady.

But, be that as it may, there’s no time to celebrate as the Bills now host the Detroit Lions in a mere matter of hours at the team’s brand new Highmark Stadium along Abbott Road in Orchard Park.

Highmark Stadium opener generates real hype

Buffalo Bills' fans head toward the new Highmark Stadium for the Bills' preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Orchard Park, New York, on Aug. 27, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It’s a historic event that’s been a long time in the making. And, it will undoubtedly bring about a lot of emotion from everyone in the building. 

However, with that in mind, while the fans will be losing their “marbles” due to all of the Bills’ mania, the coaches and players will need to keep things in check in order to accomplish the goal of going “1-0” for the week.

If Buffalo can manage to dismantle Detroit, then there’s a possibility the team could enter next week with sole possession of the AFC East through two weeks depending on how the New York Jets make out against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

Here are eight Bills’ players—some from each phase of the game—who will be critical in helping Allen and Brady tame the Lions under the lights on Thursday Night Football in order to capture their second straight victory of the season.

DL Deone Walker

Aug. 15, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills' defensive lineman Deone Walker (96) stretches prior to a preseason game between the Carolina Panthers and the Bills at the new Highmark Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bills’ second-year defensive lineman Deone Walker had quite the season debut on Sunday against the Houston Texans as he tallied six total tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, and one quarterback hit while consistently dodging, dipping, and—ultimately—destroying impending double-teams from the interior of defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard’s innovative 3-4 scheme.

It was an impressive start for Walker, especially considering how well he already performed as a rookie last season in an entirely different scheme.

He’ll need to continue showing up against both the run and the pass versus Detroit as Lions’ quarterback Jared Goff, who had a 2:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio in Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints, is capable of picking apart a defense if given time to sit back in the pocket unscathed, while running back Jahmyr Gibbs currently sits at second in the league in total rushing after a 29-carry, 156-yard rushing performance this past Sunday.

Gibbs also recorded two rushing touchdowns and 30 receiving yards against New Orleans. Walker can play a factor in slowing down the both “bell cow” runner and the proficient passer.

CB Dee Alford

Aug. 22, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Buffalo Bills' cornerback Dee Alford (23) warms up prior to a preseason game between the Bills and Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Recent veteran free-agent addition Dee Alford had a bit of a rough outing for Buffalo in his first game wearing a Bills’ uniform.

Against the Texans, Alford looked lost at times in terms of miscommunication with teammates on the field, and he was also just simply giving up too much separation on routes to the opposing receivers.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound former Atlanta Falcons’ defensive back was supposed to be a better cover corner than former veteran Taron Johnson at this point of their careers, which is why the Bills brought him on board this offseason while trading Johnson away to the Las Vegas Raiders.

So far, though, Alford hasn’t displayed those sticky coverage skills, and his next matchup against Detroit Lions’ slot receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is about to be even more difficult than the one he was presented with down in Houston, Texas, this past weekend.

If he isn’t able to settle himself and keep St. Brown in check, then it could be a long afternoon for Buffalo’s passing defense as a whole, which just surrendered 274 passing yards and two touchdowns to Texans’ quarterback C.J. Stroud while failing to even get many hands on any of his 38 passing attempts while allowing 7.2 yards per completion.

Individually, Alford was only credited with allowing two receptions, but sometimes those statistics can be misleading. Pro Football Focus only gave the one-time Tusculum College standout a measly 52.4 coverage grade for his performance against Houston, which ranked 65th out of 91 qualifying cornerbacks according to that same database.

S C.J. Gardner-Johnson

Sep. 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans' wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson (19) runs with the ball while making Buffalo Bills' safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson (22) miss on the tackle attempt | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Much was made this offseason when the Bills signed veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to a one-year deal in free agency back in March.

The infamous trash talker wasn’t considered to be the type of player that Buffalo normally brought into the fold in seasons of the past, but that seemed to change this offseason under first-year head coach Joe Brady.

Gardner-Johnson appeared to bring a different type of swagger and perspective to the defense throughout the offseason, but then he missed a majority of training camp and all of the preseason with a nagging injury, and there wasn’t much time for he and his new teammates to gel on the field in order to best prepare for Sunday’s season opener against Houston.

It was a big spot for the defensive back, who spent a few games with the AFC South squad last fall before abruptly being released on September 23, 2025, but he was practically invisible on the Texans’ turf this past weekend.

And, according to PFF’s database, Gardner-Johnson was only credited with a 67.3 coverage grade and a 42.5 run-defense grade for his efforts at Reliant Stadium, which was good for 24th and 77th, respectively, among safeties on opening weekend.

The boastful safety will need to start making some plays on the ball in Western New York if he’s going to match the amount of trash talking that he’s done throughout the summer.

If he doesn’t, then his words will begin ringing hollow in the ears of Bills Mafia. Then again, maybe they already have?

TE Dalton Kincaid

Sep. 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Buffalo Bills' fourth-year veteran tight end Dalton Kincaid (86) runs with the ball while stiff-arming Houston Texans' safety Calen Bullock (2) during the fourth quarter at Reliant Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Fourth-year tight end Dalton Kincaid had a near historic performance in Week 1 for Buffalo down in Houston, Texas, as his 130 receiving yards were the most recorded by a Bills’ tight end since 1967. 

It was the kind of display on the field that the franchise has been waiting to see from Kincaid ever since the evening he was selected by the team in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of the University of Utah.

The 6-foot-3, 246-pound playmaker hasn’t necessarily been bad during his first three years by any stretch of the imagination, but he certainly hasn’t reached a level that has made fans—and possibly even general manager Brandon Beane—comfortable with handing the pass-catching tight end a substantial contract extension in the near future.

Sep. 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Buffalo Bills' tight end Dalton Kincaid (86) extends to make a catch over Houston Texans' cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. (24) during the first half at Reliant Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

However, if he keeps up his current trajectory, then that contract will inevitably come for Kincaid, and he has the chance to capitalize on a gigantic opportunity against the Lions on Thursday Night Football as the NFC North franchise just allowed Saints’ tight ends Juwan Johnson (3 rec., 54 yards, 1 TD)  and Noah Fant (4 rec., 33 yds, 1 TD)  to combine for seven receptions, 87 total receiving yards, and two touchdowns on 15 targets.

Kincaid can clearly do some damage at the second level of Detroit’s defense, and it’d be a good plan of attack for Buffalo under the primetime lights to continue feeding the pass-catcher.

LT Dion Dawkins/RT Spencer Brown

Sep. 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans' defensive end Danielle Hunter (55) rushes the passer as Buffalo Bills' offensive tackle Dion Dawkins (73) thwarts his progress during an NFL game at Reliant Stadium | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last season against the Houston Texans, Buffalo’s offensive line surrendered eight sacks at Reliant Stadium.

On Sunday, the Bills’ unit up front—led by left tackle Dion Dawkins and right tackle Spencer Brown—allowed just two sacks of prized franchise quarterback Josh Allen, while only giving up 11 total pressures according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics.

It was a vast difference from the contest in Week 12 last November, and it was a sight for sore eyes amongst the fanbase.

There’s no time to rest on any laurels, though, as Detroit provides another tough test for the offensive line, specifically Dawkins and Brown, with EDGE rushers like Aidan Hutchinson and D.J. Wonnum coming to town on Thursday.

Hutchinson is coming off a two-sack performance in Week 1 against the Saints, while the Lions’ defense as a whole is entering Week 2 after tallying a total of five quarterback takedowns.

The Bills must continue to keep Allen relatively clean.

KR/PR Greg Dortch

October 15, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Former Arizona Cardinals' wide receiver Greg Dortch (83), who is now a member of the Buffalo Bills, reacts before a past NFL game between the Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Listed as a wide receiver, recent practice-squad addition Greg Dortch appears to be Buffalo’s main candidate to handle returning duties both on kickoffs and punt returns this season . . . although, he’ll need to be elevated to the 53-man roster after two more call-ups.

With that being said, the diminutive playmaker was fairly effective in his debut with the Bills, registering 3 kickoff returns for 82 yards (27.3 YPR avg.) and a long of 37, as well as two punt returns for an average of 5 yards per attempt.

He’s been even more effective previously in his NFL career, so there’s a chance he provides an even greater uptick in his statistical output moving forward.

Might that come against the Lions on Thursday night?

Aug. 29, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Former Detroit Lions' wide receiver Greg Dortch (8), who is now a member of the Buffalo Bills, runs with the ball against the Indianapolis Colts during the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium in the preseason. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Well, considering Dortch was just a member of Detroit’s roster throughout this past training camp before surprisingly being released at the end of August, the former undrafted free agent out of Wake Forest probably has revenge on his mind.

A big-time play—either on kickoffs or punt returns—could be in Dortch’s future in a matter of hours.

K Tyler Bass

Jan. 12, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills' kicker Tyler Bass (2), who now wears No. 16, kicks an extra-point attempt during the second quarter against the Denver Broncos in an AFC wild card game at the old Highmark Stadium | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

This final player being listed might be a bit of a head-scratcher for some Bills’ fans, but it shouldn’t be.

Tyler Bass is only entering his second regular-season game after last season’s extended layoff due to injury, and there’s no telling if he’ll be able to keep up his current pace, which included nailing all three of his field-goal attempts (46, 34, 33) and each of his three extra-point tries.

Considering Buffalo and Detroit are both coming games that were decided by one score, there’s a possibility that the Bills might need to rely on their veteran kicker to give them a critical go-ahead score at some point throughout Thursday night’s interconference meeting.

— Sign up for OnSI’s Free Buffalo Bills Newsletter —