- Buffalo is a 4.5-point favorite over Detroit at -114 for Thursday’s Week 2 opener at Highmark Stadium.
- The 53.5 total is the highest of any Week 2 game, three points clear of Dallas-Washington at 50.5.
- Buffalo escaped Houston 36-31 on a late Josh Allen strike after falling behind 31-30 in the fourth quarter.
- Detroit blew a 21-point lead and needed overtime to beat New Orleans 31-30.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Buffalo is a 4.5-point favorite over Detroit for Thursday’s NFL Week 2 opener at Highmark Stadium, up from the 3 BetOnline posted before either team had played, and the game’s 53.5 total is the highest of any matchup on the Week 2 board.
Thursday Night Football Odds: Bills Vs Lions
| Market | Line | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Buffalo / Detroit | -230 / +192 |
| Spread | Buffalo -4.5 / Detroit +4.5 | -114 / -106 |
| Total | 53.5 | Over -111 / Under -109 |
All three markets are BetOnline’s numbers; Bovada has Buffalo at -120 on the same 4.5-point spread. The 53.5 total sits three points clear of the next-highest Week 2 number, Dallas-Washington at 50.5, a gap that tracks with two offenses that combined for 67 points in their openers. With that much scoring priced in, the total is the cleaner legal sports betting read than a side, because backing either team means trusting a defense off a one-game sample.
Bills Survive A Track Meet
Houston led 31-30 with 3:13 to play on Sept. 13 before Buffalo answered on the road. Josh Allen hit Joshua Palmer in stride from 34 yards out for the go-ahead score, Palmer’s only catch of the day, with 1:36 on the clock. Allen finished 20-of-29 for 334 yards and two passing touchdowns and ran for two more.
Buffalo’s offense averaged 0.26 expected points added per play in the opener, well clear of the 0.05-to-0.15 range that marks a good week. It is a one-game number, and the defense that let Houston hang 31 points on it still has to hold up at home Thursday.
Lions Need Overtime At Home
Detroit beat New Orleans 31-30 in overtime on Sept. 13, but only after surrendering a 21-point lead and watching the Saints outscore the Lions 30-10 the rest of the way. Jared Goff threw two touchdowns but managed only 206 yards on 39 attempts, completing 26. Jahmyr Gibbs, the NFL’s highest-paid running back, did the heavy lifting, piling up 156 yards on 29 carries with both of his touchdowns coming from the 1-yard line.
Goff’s completion percentage over expected was minus-2.9, less accurate than the average quarterback on the same throws, a sign the offense leaned on Gibbs’ volume to finish drives rather than Goff’s efficiency. Detroit’s offense averaged -0.03 EPA per play in the win, a hair under the league’s zero baseline. The same defense that let the Saints erase 21 points now faces the offense that posted the better of the two Week 1 EPA readings on the NFL betting board.
Kickoff is 8:15 p.m. Eastern on Prime Video, and the Bills debut their new building behind a defense Houston just scored 31 on.
