Chairshot NFL News Report (9/18/2026): Allen Opens the House, Buffalo Scores 41 & Garrett Hits IR

Josh Allen powers Buffalo past Detroit in its new stadium, D.J. Moore gets hurt and the Rams officially place Myles Garrett on IR.

Buffalo waited years to open the new Highmark Stadium and then spent Thursday night making sure the first regular-season game felt appropriately loud.

Josh Allen accounted for five touchdowns as the Bills beat Detroit 41-31, James Cook topped 100 yards before halftime and Buffalo moved to 2-0. Elsewhere, the Rams officially placed Myles Garrett on injured reserve while Aaron Donald moved closer to making his return.

It’s the Chairshot NFL News Report for September 18, 2026!

Josh Allen Owns the Opening Night at New Highmark Stadium

Buffalo defeated Detroit 41-31 in the first regular-season game at the new Highmark Stadium. Josh Allen completed 20 of 31 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns while adding 69 rushing yards and two more scores, accounting for five touchdowns as Buffalo improved to 2-0.

Allen wasted almost no time attaching himself to the building’s history. He scored the first touchdown in the stadium, threw its first touchdown pass and helped Buffalo build a 27-7 halftime lead behind 299 yards of first-half offense.

That is exactly the kind of performance the franchise wanted for the opening night. The stadium may be new, but Buffalo’s competitive identity still begins with Allen doing things most quarterbacks cannot.

James Cook Runs Through Detroit

James Cook finished with 135 rushing yards and a touchdown after already surpassing 100 yards before halftime. Buffalo’s rushing attack consistently punished a Detroit defense that looked exhausted after playing overtime only four days earlier.

The combination of Cook and Allen created a problem Detroit never solved. Defenses already have to account for Allen extending plays with his legs, but Thursday required the Lions to respect a conventional running game capable of controlling entire drives.

That makes Buffalo significantly harder to defend than a team asking Allen to improvise every important possession. Week 1 required late heroics from him; Week 2 allowed the entire offense to overwhelm somebody.

Detroit Falls Behind Too Far, Too Fast

Detroit trailed 27-7 at halftime and never fully recovered despite making the final score respectable. Jared Goff was sacked on the opening possession and fumbled twice early, while Jahmyr Gibbs finished with 52 rushing yards on 16 carries after handling 33 touches in the Lions’ overtime opener.

The short turnaround clearly did Detroit no favors. The Lions had just survived an overtime game Sunday and entered Thursday without multiple offensive linemen, creating exactly the kind of conditions Buffalo was equipped to exploit.

Detroit showed enough fight to avoid a complete collapse, but the first half decided the game. Week 2 leaves the Lions 1-1 and needing the normal recovery week they did not receive after the opener.

D.J. Moore Leaves With a Shoulder Injury

Bills receiver D.J. Moore was ruled out after suffering a shoulder injury during the second quarter. Head coach Joe Brady did not have a postgame update on the severity, while defensive tackle Ed Oliver was also unexpectedly inactive after injuring his hip during pregame warmups.

Moore’s status becomes the most important piece of fallout from an otherwise excellent night for Buffalo. The Bills have enough offensive options to survive short absences, but Moore is not somebody they want removed from an offense that finally looks balanced.

Buffalo also has extra recovery time before Week 3 because the game was played Thursday. That becomes particularly valuable if either Moore or Oliver is dealing with something more significant than a one-week issue.

Rams Officially Put Myles Garrett on Injured Reserve

Los Angeles placed Myles Garrett on injured reserve following knee surgery, guaranteeing that he will miss at least four games. Sean McVay said the surgery went well but declined to establish a timetable beyond the mandatory IR absence.

The move officially confirms how badly the Rams’ ideal defensive plan unraveled during Week 1. Los Angeles traded for Garrett with the eventual goal of pairing him with Aaron Donald, only for Donald to miss the opener and Garrett to require surgery immediately afterward.

The pairing can still happen later in the season, but it will not define September. The Rams now have to stay competitive long enough for the version of the defense they imagined to eventually exist.

Aaron Donald Moves Closer to His Return

McVay said Donald was expected to practice fully Thursday as Los Angeles evaluates whether he can play Monday night against the Giants. Donald returned from retirement late in August but was held out of the season opener in Australia while rebuilding football conditioning.

That creates an interesting reversal from Week 1. Garrett entered the opener while Donald watched, but Monday could feature Donald returning while Garrett begins his injured-reserve stint.

Los Angeles should still resist treating Donald’s availability as something that needs to compensate for Garrett’s absence. The entire point of easing him back was avoiding the predictable problems that come with asking a player to immediately reproduce elite football after two years away.

Nico Collins Is in Doubt for Week 2

Houston receiver Nico Collins missed Thursday’s practice after suffering a hamstring injury Wednesday and is considered uncertain for Sunday’s game against Cincinnati. The injury is not believed to be serious, but the timing gives Collins limited opportunity to demonstrate he can play safely.

Houston already lost a high-scoring opener to Buffalo despite producing 31 points. Removing Collins would make the next assignment much harder because Cincinnati’s offense gives the Texans very little room to play conservatively.

Hamstrings are also exactly the kind of injury teams should avoid testing unnecessarily in September. Losing Collins for one game would hurt; turning one missed game into a month-long problem would hurt considerably more.

Tua Still Isn’t Practicing

Tua Tagovailoa did not practice Thursday as Atlanta continues preparing for Week 2 without knowing whether its starting quarterback will be available. Michael Penix Jr. and Cooper Rush both practiced fully, giving the Falcons significantly better insurance than they had entering the opener.

Atlanta’s quarterback situation has already been complicated enough for one season. Tua missed Week 1, Rush played through his own back issue and Penix remains part of a carefully managed return from knee surgery.

The Falcons do not need another emergency decision. Having Rush and Penix practicing fully gives them the luxury of waiting until Tua is genuinely ready instead of treating Sunday as a deadline.

Zay Flowers Misses Another Practice

Baltimore receiver Zay Flowers missed practice for the second consecutive day because of the hamstring injury he suffered during the Ravens’ Week 1 victory. Baltimore also had multiple offensive and defensive linemen absent Thursday as it prepares for its second game.

Flowers was outstanding before leaving the opener, producing 150 receiving yards and looking like the centerpiece of Baltimore’s passing attack. That makes his absence more significant than losing another rotational receiver.

The Ravens can still lean on Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, but the offense becomes substantially less flexible if Flowers cannot stretch coverage. Friday’s final designation will tell us whether Baltimore is simply being cautious or preparing to play without him.

Thursday Night Football Result

Buffalo opened Week 2 with a 41-31 victory over Detroit, giving the Bills their second win and handing the Lions their first loss. The game also became the first regular-season result in the history of the new Highmark Stadium.

Detroit Lions 31, Buffalo Bills 41

Week 2 began with Buffalo looking much more complete than it did during the comeback in Houston. Allen was still spectacular, but Cook’s production and the offensive balance meant the quarterback did not need a miracle in the final two minutes.

That may be the most important development of the night. The Bills already know Allen can rescue them; the more dangerous version is the one that does not need rescuing.

This report includes information from: NFL.com, ESPN.com, Reuters reporting, Buffalo Bills reporting, and league injury reports.