Greg Cote's Thursday night NFL pick

Greg Cote, Miami Herald on Sep 16, 2026

Published in Football

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GREG COTE’S NFL WEEK 2 THURSDAY PICK

LIONS (1-0) at BILLS (1-0)

Line: BUF by 4 1/2.

Cote’s pick: BUF, 34-30.

TV: 8:15 p.m. Thursday, Prime Video.

Punters, take the night off. Scoreboard operator, don’t blink. The betting over/under of 54.5 points is astronomical for the NFL, but it could be 70, and I might still consider the over. These teams put up 90 when Bills beat Lions, 48-42, in previous meeting in ‘24. But more than the promise of offensive fireworks ushers in Week 2 in prime time Thursday. Game also christens Buffalo’s new $2.1 billion stadium. [Fun fact: Bills plan to also play Canada’s national anthem Thursday as an homage to their neighbor to the immediate north ... unless an irate Trump signs an executive order to quash it.] Bills and Josh Allen put up 36 on a strong Houston defense last week. Detroit and Jared Goff were not as impressive in Week 1 and needed OT and a failed Saints two-point try to eke out a one-point win. Feel pretty good about a Buffs victory outright but with some trepidation I’m going to hunch Lions-with-points to cover. Motown is 14-4 in prime time including 4-0 on Thursday nights under Dan Campbell and I see his guys rising to the level of the foe here. Also, Jahmyr GIbbs should enjoy plenty of leg room vs. a mediocre Bills run defense.

(Note: Betting line courtesy DraftKings as of Wednesday afternoon.)