The Bills will open their season on the road in Week 1 against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. They will have a quick turnaround in Week 2 when they face the Detroit Lions on “Thursday Night Football”, which will be the official home opener for the new Highmark Stadium.
Usually, when a new stadium opens, there are some big-time celebrations, and the Bills will have a nice halftime show that night.
Bills Will Have OneRepublic Perform at Half
Former NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth, who are now analysts on Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night coverage, announced on their podcast “Fitz & Whit” on Wednesday that OneRepublic will perform at halftime in Week 2.
OneRepublic formed in 2002 in Colorado Springs and has four songs that reached No. 1 on different Billboard charts: “Apologize”, “Good Life”, “Counting Stars” and “I Ain’t Worried”.
The Bills may face a few more halftime concerts this season. Since the Bills play the Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving and the Denver Broncos on Christmas, there is a chance for more halftime shows in those two contests, as they are holiday games.
Hopefully the Bills have a halftime show during the last game of the season, Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 14.
Josh Allen Isn’t a Fan of Artificial Turf
One of the NFL’s debates over the last few seasons has been which is better and safer to play on: artificial turf or natural grass. Quarterback Josh Allen weighed in on it at the end of August.
“Grass is healthier for our bodies. I’m at a point in my career now where, when we practice on the artificial turf, I can feel it the next day,” Allen said. “When we are out there [on natural grass], I feel great. I think any honest guy would tell you that’s how they feel. So I think it’s healthier injury prevention. I’ve gotten numerous burns on my legs from artificial turf to the point where I can’t sleep at night because it’s bubbling over. It’s very painful. I’m excited not to deal with it at home at least. I know we will probably still play games on the road on turf, but if I could snap my fingers and make every field grass, I would.”
The good news is that the new Highmark Stadium has natural grass, which could be a great thing for Allen as he turns 30 in May.
But there is some bad news for Allen, and it starts in Week 1, since Houston does not have natural grass and has turf instead.
Since Allen mentioned that he doesn’t feel great after playing on artificial turf, it could still be affecting him when the Bills face the Lions in Week 2. They have only four days to recover because of the quick turnaround from Sunday to Thursday.
Bills Announce Exciting Music Act to Perform During Week 2 TNF Showdown With Lions