The Buffalo Bills will be the latest NFL team to move into their new stadium in September when the 2026 season gets underway.

Having waved goodbye to the old Highmark Stadium, the Bills will welcome the Detroit Lions in week two for their first competitive game in their new home.

Josh Allen led his side to a respectable 12-5 season last year, which saw them finish second in the AFC East behind the New England Patriots.

The new Highmark Stadium may take some getting used to and history would suggest that there is a real mixed bag of teams that improved and regressed in their opening seasons in their new homes.

SoFi Stadium – Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers

For the sake of argument, we will focus on the Los Angeles Rams and their transition from The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to SoFi Stadium.

In the 2019 season, which was the Rams’ final at the Coliseum, Sean McVay was able to guide his team to a 9-7 record.

However, in their first season in their state-of-the-art new home, the Rams improved their record to 10-6, which led to defeat in the Divisional Round.

LA Rams: Improvement

Allegiant Stadium – Las Vegas Raiders

The year 2020 proved a real game-changer when it came to the new wave of NFL stadia, with Las Vegas welcoming the opening of the Allegiant Stadium.

Having moved from Oakland, the Las Vegas Raiders had a 7-9 record from their 2019 season to improve on under Jon Gruden.

Much like the Rams, the Raiders were able to narrowly improve their record through an 8-8 season in their brand new 65,000-seat stadium.

Las Vegas Raiders: Improvement

Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta Falcons

Back in 2017, the Atlanta Falcons made the move into the Mercedes-Benz Stadium from the Georgia Dome.

With Dan Quinn as head coach, the Falcons ended the 2016 season with an 11-5 record, which ended in that Super Bowl defeat against the New England Patriots.

The Falcons are the first to break the trend of improving records in the opening season in a new stadium, as Quinn’s team ended 2017 with a 10-6 record.

Atlanta Falcons: Regression

U.S. Bank Stadium – Minnesota Vikings

The 2015 Minnesota Vikings were eliminated in the Wild Card Round after Mike Zimmer led them to an 11-5 season.

Having moved into the U.S. Bank Stadium in 2016, the Vikings went severely backwards, with their poor form leading to an 8-8 record.

Missing out on the Play-Offs was a considerable step backwards for the Vikings, but they have made the post-season four times since the move into the U.S. Bank Stadium.

Minnesota Vikings: Regression

Levi’s Stadium – San Francisco 49ers

Rewind back to the 2013 season – where the San Francisco 49ers finished 12-4 – Jim Harbaugh’s team lost in an iconic NFC Championship game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Following their move from Candlestick Park to Levi’s Stadium, Harbaugh’s side went backwards considerably.

An 8-8 season in 2014 saw the 49ers miss out on the Play-Offs, which kicked off a barren run from the post-season until their 2019 Super Bowl appearance.

San Francisco 49ers: Regression

MetLife Stadium – New York Giants and New York Jets

Similarly to SoFi Stadium, for the sake of argument, let’s take the New York Giants as the example when it comes to MetLife Stadium.

During the tenure of Tom Coughlin in New York, the Giants waved goodbye to the Giants Stadium with an 8-8 record.

The move to MetLife was a real positive for the Giants initially as they finished the 2010 season with a 10-6 record, which was then backed up in 2011 by winning the Super Bowl.

New York Giants: Improvement

AT&T Stadium – Dallas Cowboys

Ending our list with the Dallas Cowboys, who moved into the AT&T Stadium all the way back in 2009.

The Texas Stadium was waved farewell by the Cowboys through a dismal 9-7 record, which led to a third-placed finish in the NFC East.

Wade Phillips led the Cowboys’ opening season in the AT&T Stadium and boasted an 11-5 record that ended in the Divisional Round against the Vikings.

Dallas Cowboys: Improvement