EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe Buffalo Bills play their first regular-season game at Highmark Stadium on Thursday, officially opening their new home field.Buffalo broke ground on the more than $2.1 billion stadium, which holds a capacity of 60,108, 10,000 fewer than its previous home, in May 2023.Highmark Stadium boasts specific features to combat the Buffalo weather. It includes a natural grass field with underground heating coils to prevent it from freezing. There's the world's largest stadium snow-melt system that automatically monitors and melts snow accumulations using roof sensors. A 360-degree canopy -- which covers 60% of the seating bowl -- reduces the impact of the wind.Safe to say, the Bills' new stomping grounds include elements unseen across the league. First on the docket for Buffalo at home? The Detroit Lions on "Thursday Night Football."As Buffalo opens its new stadium, here's a look back at notable opening games at NFL teams' active stadiums.Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas Raiders, 2020Less than a year after their final game in Oakland, the Raiders officially completed their move to Las Vegas by playing at their new home, Allegiant Stadium. It's one of the most expensive sports venues in the world and has a capacity of 65,000, but it opened in the midst of the coronavirus. Therefore, no fans were allowed in the stadium for the opener.The Raiders still managed to put on a show on "Monday Night Football." Las Vegas fell into a 10-0 first quarter deficit to the New Orleans Saints, but outscored them 34-14 the rest of the way to win. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr had 284 passing yards and three touchdowns, while tight end Darren Waller caught 12 passes for 105 yards and a score.SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, 2020Built at a cost of over $5 billion, SoFi Stadium is the most expensive sports stadium in the world. It seats approximately 70,000 fans and could be expanded for as many 100,000 attendees. At 3.1 million square feet, it's the largest NFL stadium.Its two tenants, the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, had separate debuts at SoFi with contrasting results. The Rams had first dibs, playing on "Sunday Night Football" against the Dallas Cowboys. They beat the Cowboys 20-17 in a back-and-forth game. The Chargers followed the Rams up with an overtime defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs a week later.That first SoFi game for the Chargers marked quarterback Justin Herbert's NFL debut. He threw for 311 yards and had a touchdown on the ground and in the air. Herbert joined Cam Newton and Otto Graham as the only quarterbacks to throw for 300 yards and have a rushing touchdown in their first game.Levi's Stadium, San Francisco 49ers, 2014The 49ers spent over 40 years at Candlestick Park before moving to the billion-dollar Levi's Stadium with a capacity of 68,500. And if the first game at the new arena was any indication, 49ers fans would've happily crawled back to Candlestick.The Chicago Bears scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to come back and defeat San Francisco 28-20. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick threw consecutive interceptions in the fourth quarter, leading to touchdowns for Chicago. The 49ers had one last chance to tie it with 6:55 left in the game, but suffered a turnover on downs as the Bears spoiled the opening.MetLife Stadium, New York Giants and Jets, 2010The old tenants of Giants Stadium moved to MetLife Stadium together, too.In front of just under 80,000 fans, the Giants had the opening game as they faced the Carolina Panthers, whom the Giants lost to in the final game of their old home. It was a different outcome than the previous meeting with the Giants defeating the Panthers 31-18 behind three touchdowns from quarterback Eli Manning.The next day, the Jets faced the Baltimore Ravens on "Monday Night Football." Fresh off a trip to the conference championship game, the Jets started off on the wrong foot, losing to Baltimore in a low-scoring 10-9 affair.Cowboys Stadium, Dallas Cowboys, 2009Dubbed "Jerry's World," the opening of AT&T Stadium was a true spectacle with over 100,000 attendees.Celebrities flocked to the game, including former President George W. Bush, who did the coin toss, and LeBron James, who threw a football on the field. There was the debut of the massive jumbotron and fireworks to ring in the arena on "Sunday Night Football." The Giants weren't phased by any of it.The two teams traded jabs all night before New York laid the final punch. After the Cowboys went up 31-30 with over three minutes left in the game, the Giants drove down for a game-winning 37-yard field goal as time expired, stunning the crowd. Giants quarterback Eli Manning signed the visiting locker room wall after the game, writing the date, final score and "first win in the new stadium."Reliant Stadium, Houston Texans, 2002The NFL's most recent expansion team, the Houston Texans, opened their stadium in front of just under 70,000 fans on "Sunday Night Football" against the Cowboys.Houston had the previous draft's No. 1 pick David Carr under center, and he delivered immediately. The Texans scored 75 seconds in, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Houston never trailed again en route to a 19-10 victory. It became the first expansion team to win its debut since 1961.
