NFL Thursday Night Football preview: Bills open their new stadium with a great matchup vs. Lions

The Buffalo Bills have been around since 1960 and they have played in only two home stadiums.

War Memorial Stadium was their home through the 1972 season, but the team quickly outgrew it. Then came Rich Stadium, which would undergo a few name changes that included Ralph Wilson Stadium and Highmark Stadium. There were 429 games and many great memories there. But eventually the Bills had to upgrade from that stadium too.

The Bills had one of the more outdated stadiums in the NFL. That's not the case anymore. New Highmark Stadium cost $2.2 billion and has its first regular-season game Thursday night against the Detroit Lions . While there have been complaints about obstructed views at some of the seats, overall the stadium looked luxurious during the preseason.

And Bills fans have a pretty good team residing in the new stadium.

The Bills are coming off a thrilling 36-31 win in Week 1 over the Houston Texans in which quarterback Josh Allen played a remarkable game, including a game-winning touchdown in the final two minutes. Allen is an MVP favorite and the Bills are a Super Bowl contender . Add the excitement over the new stadium, and it's a good time to be a Bills fan.

The regular-season opener in new Highmark Stadium should be a lot of fun. The Lions are a good and exciting team as well. While their Week 1 overtime win over the New Orleans Saints was closer than they'd hoped, especially after taking a 21-0 lead, they escaped with a win and have high hopes for the season. It's a team that won 15 games two seasons ago and still has most of the stars from that squad. There are some questions about an injured Lions secondary, which might just mean we see a lot of touchdowns.

One way or another, it will be a memorable night for the Bills franchise.

We could break it down in football terms here, but only one team has history at stake. You don't want to follow the pomp and circumstance of opening a new stadium with a loss. Nobody in Michigan will remember years from now if the Lions won a Week 2 game against an AFC team. But Bills fans will recall what happened in the first regular-season game at new Highmark Stadium (for the record, they won their first game at their previous stadium 9-7 over the New York Jets in 1973). There will be pressure on the Bills given the importance of the night in Western New York. Whatever happens will be part of the stadium's history.

Williams has established himself as a very good receiver but he's coming off a poor Week 1. Williams had multiple drops, though it didn't ultimately cost Detroit as the Lions went on to win 31-30 in overtime. Williams has had issues with drops throughout his career, but Detroit probably can't afford more if they want to beat the Bills. The Lions' offense is incredibly condensed: Jahmyr Gibbs , Amon-Ra St. Brown , Sam LaPorta and Williams accounted for 53 of 57 touches among skill position players in Week 1. They need all of those players at their best to beat a Bills team that is going to put up plenty of points. Williams can help keep Detroit in the game with a few big plays.

This line has been on the move. The lookahead was Bills -3, it reopened on Sunday night at -3.5 and it's now as high as Bills -5.5 at some sportsbooks. The total has also ticked up from 52.5 to 54.5, both because of how good each team's offense looked in Week 1 ... and how bad each team's defense played. With Josh Allen and Co. opening Highmark Stadium in Buffalo, it's going to be a tall task for the Lions to stay in this game if its secondary doesn't play better. The betting public is backing Buffalo to cover, and while I don't hate the pick, I'd target the Bills' team total instead. If Tyler Shough had 410 yards passing and led the Saints to 29 first downs (8-of-17 on third down), what will Allen do against Detroit's D?

Check out more of Ben's work at the Yahoo Sports betting hub .

Fantasy football storylines, by Scott Pianowski

The total is set in the 55 range for Bills and Lions tonight, so it's a juicy spot for fantasy managers. Here are three stories I'll have my eyes on.

1. Can this be D.J. Moore 's dream season? Although Moore was a target hog in Carolina and had one great year in Chicago , he's never gone past eight touchdowns in a season. Hopes are especially high for Moore in Buffalo after a 5-100-1 opener, and the Detroit secondary is ravaged by injury.

2. Will Jameson Williams bounce back? Williams left a bunch of points on the field last week, struggling with drops and focus. Given that he had nine targets and one running play called for him (botched by his hands), just 45 yards goes down as a disappointment. But the Lions have a narrow target tree, and Williams can score from anywhere on the field.

3. Can Dalton Kincaid keep the heavy usage? Kincaid was limited to 38% snaps last year, as the Bills helped him manage knee issues. He ran on 72% of the snaps in last week's opener, helping him produce a 5-130-0 line. Perhaps the timing is right for his breakout year.

Check out more of Scott's work at the Yahoo Sports fantasy hub .