Chairshot NFL News Report (9/17/2026): Joe Buck Extension, Detroit Loses Linemen, Murray Is Limited & Buffalo Opens Its New Home

ESPN extends Joe Buck, Detroit loses two offensive linemen before Buffalo, Kyler Murray remains limited and the Bills open new Highmark Stadium tonight.

NFL Week 2 begins tonight, and Detroit is arriving in Buffalo with a problem exactly where it did not want one.

The Lions ruled out two offensive linemen before facing a Buffalo defense that just survived Josh Allen’s Week 1 shootout with Houston. Minnesota also continues monitoring Kyler Murray in the concussion protocol, while several other teams spent Wednesday adjusting around the first wave of regular-season injuries.

It’s the Chairshot NFL News Report for September 17, 2026!

Joe Buck Lands a Massive ESPN Extension

Joe Buck agreed to a six-year, $108 million extension with ESPN that will keep him as the play-by-play voice of Monday Night Football into the next decade. Buck is also positioned to call ESPN’s first Super Bowl this season, while longtime partner Troy Aikman’s current contract runs through February 2027.

Broadcast contracts rarely belong near the top of an NFL news report, but $108 million makes this more than routine media housekeeping. ESPN is effectively treating Buck as a franchise-level property at the same moment it prepares for its first Super Bowl broadcast.

The uncertainty now moves to Aikman. Their partnership has lasted 25 seasons, and ESPN clearly values continuity, but keeping the duo together will require another major financial commitment.

Lions Lose Two Offensive Linemen Before Buffalo

Detroit ruled out tackle Blake Miller because of a knee injury and guard Christian Mahogany because of a hip injury for tonight’s game against Buffalo. Cornerback D.J. Reed is questionable because of a foot issue, while Juice Scruggs progressed to full participation after previously being limited.

The offensive-line losses matter because Detroit already has Cade Mays on injured reserve and is trying to survive a short week after an overtime game against New Orleans. Playing Buffalo would be difficult enough with the preferred five linemen available; doing it while reshuffling protections increases the burden on Jared Goff and Jahmyr Gibbs.

Detroit’s offense is good enough to compensate, but Thursday-night football often becomes a test of which roster handles recovery better. The Lions are entering that test with less margin than they wanted.

Buffalo Opens the New Highmark Stadium Tonight

Buffalo hosts Detroit tonight in the first regular-season game at the new Highmark Stadium. Both teams enter 1-0 after the Bills beat Houston 36-31 and Detroit escaped New Orleans 31-30 in overtime.

The setting gives an already strong matchup additional significance. Buffalo has spent years building toward this stadium opening, and doing it under the Thursday-night spotlight against another playoff-caliber team gives the night more weight than a normal home opener.

The football itself should be interesting enough without the ceremony. Josh Allen and Jared Goff both played high-scoring games in Week 1, while Buffalo’s defense and Detroit’s offensive line enter with enough injury questions to make the matchup less predictable than the records suggest.

Bills Carry Three Questionable Designations

Buffalo listed safety Cole Bishop, running back Ty Johnson and defensive lineman T.J. Sanders as questionable. Linebacker Terrel Bernard was limited in practice with a calf issue but does not carry a game designation.

The Bishop designation may matter most because Detroit’s offense is built around forcing defensive backs to tackle in space and handle multiple threats at once. Gibbs can turn a routine checkdown into a major play, while Amon-Ra St. Brown and the rest of the receiving group make communication critical.

Buffalo survived Houston despite giving up 31 points, so Week 2 provides another immediate test of whether the defense can win a game that becomes another track meet.

Kyler Murray Remains Limited in Concussion Protocol

Minnesota quarterback Kyler Murray remained limited in Wednesday’s practice while continuing through the concussion protocol. Carson Wentz is already expected to start if Murray is not cleared in time for Sunday’s game against Chicago.

Wentz gave Minnesota every reason to feel comfortable with the short-term contingency after leading four consecutive touchdown drives in the comeback against Green Bay. That does not make the quarterback decision irrelevant, but it does remove the desperation that normally accompanies a starter entering concussion protocol.

Minnesota should have no reason to accelerate Murray’s return. Week 1 proved the Vikings can win with Wentz, which makes patience much easier to justify.

Commanders Put Jordan Magee on Injured Reserve

Washington placed linebacker Jordan Magee on injured reserve and added veteran guard Lucas Patrick as part of a four-move roster adjustment. Magee will miss at least four games, forcing Washington to alter its linebacker rotation ahead of the Week 2 matchup with Dallas.

The Commanders already opened with a narrow loss to Philadelphia, so losing another defensive piece increases the pressure on a unit that cannot afford to give Dallas easy answers after the Cowboys stumbled against New York.

The Patrick addition is separate from that problem, but it reflects the normal September reality. Injuries rarely affect only one position group, and teams start building emergency depth almost immediately after the first game.

Week 2 Injury Reports Start Filling Up

The league-wide Wednesday injury report also included several teams already dealing with significant absences ahead of Sunday. Cleveland had multiple offensive linemen limited or out of practice, while teams across the schedule began establishing which Week 1 injuries are likely to carry into the second game.

This is the point where the difference between a minor Week 1 issue and a real roster problem becomes clearer. Players who were described as day-to-day Monday are now either practicing, limited or heading toward an official game designation.

The short week simply forces Detroit and Buffalo to go first. Everyone else gets another few days before making the same decisions.

Thursday Night Football: Lions at Bills

Detroit and Buffalo open Week 2 tonight at 8:15 p.m. ET, with both offenses entering after dramatic Week 1 victories. Buffalo’s new stadium becomes the backdrop for a matchup featuring Allen, Goff, Gibbs and two teams already being forced to adjust around injuries.

The most interesting matchup may be Detroit’s offensive line against Buffalo’s front. Missing Miller and Mahogany increases the chance that protection becomes the deciding factor instead of the skill players everybody expects to dominate the conversation.

If Detroit can keep Goff comfortable, the game has every ingredient for another high-scoring night. If Buffalo consistently wins up front, the new stadium may open with a much more comfortable home result than the Bills experienced in Houston.

Week 2 begins with two undefeated teams that already needed fourth-quarter or overtime resilience to survive Week 1. Neither has had enough recovery time to completely reset, which makes Thursday less about who built the better offseason roster and more about who can adapt quickest under imperfect conditions.

That theme will carry through the entire week. Minnesota is preparing around uncertainty at quarterback, Washington is replacing defensive depth and several teams are already learning which injuries are going to become multi-week problems.

This report includes information from: NFL.com, Reuters.com, BuffaloBills.com, DetroitLions.com, and Washington roster reporting.