3 things to know about Bills' first 2026 schedule announcement

The NFL revealed that the entire 2026 regular season schedule will be released this Thursday.

Each offseason it is made into a spectacle of sorts, even though we already knew every team's upcoming opponents and locations since the end of last season. The upcoming announcement is the order of each game.

Also part of the schedule release every year is when a few games are announced early. The Buffalo Bills were part of one of those this offseason.

The NFL revealed that Buffalo's first home game will be a "Thursday Night Football" contest in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions. That is significant because it will be the first-ever game at the new Highmark Stadium.

With former team owner Ralph Wilson Jr.'s ties to Detroit, it is a fitting opponent. But this announcement gives us a few other things to keep in mind.

Here are three notes on the Bills' home opener announcement:

Week 1 likely on the road

The way this news was announced is a bit of a double-edged sword. The Bills announced the "home" opener for Week 2. A big note: There will be a game in Week 1 and it sounds like that one will be on the road for Buffalo.

Thursday done early

There is a chance the Bills could play another game on a Thursday this season. Usually, teams only have one. If it is just one for the Bills, Buffalo's is at the ideal time in Week 2, as opposed to later on in the 2026 season when the team is much more beaten up from games played.

NFL will listen to Bills

Putting the Bills' first game at the new Highmark Stadium on a prime-time spot is something the team admitted they asked the NFL to do.