How to watch Lions vs. Bills: Kickoff time, TV channel, announcers, more

Not going to the game on Friday? Here’s how to watch at home.

The Detroit Lions kick off their 2021 preseason schedule on Friday night with an exhibition bout against the Buffalo Bills. It’s an annual tradition to play the Bills (mostly due to their proximity). Going back to 2002, the Bills have been on Detroit’s preseason schedule every season but one (2018). It’s not quite Great Lakes Classic preseason rivalry with the Cleveland Browns—with this gorgeous trophy on the line—but it’s pretty close.

This will be the huge debut for the Lions. It’s a new era of Detroit football, and while expectations remain somewhat low for Year 1 of the Dan Campbell era, there’s still an impressive amount of optimism surrounding the future of this franchise.

The future starts on Friday night, as the Lions unveil their 2021 team, along with a bunch of new players and rookies that bring a ton of intrigue to the preseason opener. Can Jared Goff thrive in a new environment and recaptures some of that first overall pick magic again? How will Lions rookies look under NFL lights for the first time? And how much will simply a change in coaching staff turn around the careers of Detroit’s younger players?

All of that, and more, will be on display Friday night in front of FANS at Ford Field. But if you’re not going to the game, here’s how you can watch from home.

Detroit Lions vs. Buffalo Bills

Date: Friday, August 13, 2021
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Ford Field — Detroit, MI
Local TV: FOX 2 (full list of Lions preseason TV affiliates here)
National TV: NFL Network
TV announcers: Brandon Gaudin, Herman Moore, Dannie Rogers
Radio: 97.1 The Ticket (full list of radio affiliates here)
Radio announcers: Dan Miller, Lomas Brown, T.J. Lang
Online streaming: NFL Game Pass