The Buffalo Bills open their brand new stadium this fall, and they have an idea for how they want that opening to happen.
When will the Bills home opener be?
The Buffalo Bills have an idea for their first regular-season game at the new Highmark Stadium. And to them, they believe it should happen under the lights.
Speaking with The Buffalo News recently on the matter, Bills chief operating officer (COO) Pete Guelli said that the team has been in contact with the NFL about the stadium opener. He said that they've shared their wishes to open the game in prime time and have even had interest from league partners about it.
"We’ve already been approached by networks that would like to have it," Guelli told the news. "We’re just trying to work through that."
Guelli said that he understands it's ultimately a league decision. However, he believes the talks have gone well and that they'll "continue to work through it and see where it nets out."
No matter what happens with the home opener, Guelli says that the team is going to make sure it's a "big event".
As far as when the Bills—and the fans— will know for sure about the first game at the stadium, that won't happen until May when the league unveils the schedule.
The first two games of the schedule are already confirmed, with the Seattle Seahawks opening the season on Wednesday, September 9, to celebrate their Super Bowl championship. That will be followed by the first NFL regular-season game in Australia on Thursday, September 10.
So, if it's going to happen in week one and be in prime time, the Bills would play on either Sunday night or Monday night. Last season, they opened on Sunday night against Baltimore in Week 1. While it's possible the league could do that again, heck, even against Baltimore, there's also the chance of the home opener being in Week 2 or even Week 3.
Buffalo has eight home and nine road games this season, meaning that starting on the road the first two weeks isn't that unlikely. In fact, last season saw four teams start the year with two road games.
Nevertheless, the opening of the $2 billion Highmark Stadium is sure to be a major spectacle, whether it's in prime time or even as a featured late-window game.
For those who can't wait, the team recently announced that the first big event at the stadium will be its Return of the Red and Blue scrimmage in August.
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