Josh Allen stars as Bills win 41-31 in Highmark Stadium opener

The Buffalo Bills defeated the Detroit Lions 41-31 in their home opener at Highmark Stadium as they opened their new stadium.

Quarterback Josh Allen threw for three touchdowns and rushed for two in the victory, while the Bills scored six touchdowns at Highmark Stadium, which was built next to their old home at a cost of $2.2bn (£1.6bn). The result followed Buffalo's 36-31 win at the Houston Texans in their first game of the season on Sunday.

Buffalo raced into a 21-0 lead in the first half; Allen scored on a rushing play, threw a 43-yard touchdown to Joshua Palmer and Dawson Knox added a score early in the second quarter.

Detroit responded when Jared Goff connected with Jahmyr Gibbs for an 11-yard touchdown catch; Gibbs became the NFL's highest-paid running back in the off-season. Dalton Kincaid later stretched Buffalo's lead and the Bills remained comfortable throughout the second half.

The Lions, who beat the New Orleans Saints in overtime last week, narrowed the margin with two touchdowns by Amon-Ra St Brown and another from Sam LaPorta. Allen and James Cook each scored for Buffalo, preventing Detroit from getting closer than 10 points.

Before the game both the American and Canadian national anthems were played, with the Canadian anthem sung by Barenaked Ladies as the Bills chose to honour their Canadian fans amid rising tensions between the two countries.

Allen scored two rushing touchdowns and two passing touchdowns in the same game for the 10th time - six more than any other player in NFL history. The Bills are among the favourites to represent the AFC Conference in the Super Bowl.