2024-10-07 08:30:03
HOUSTON – The Buffalo Bills are in rebound mode Sunday afternoon when they take on the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium.
On the heels of a 35-10 beatdown at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, things certainly won’t be easy for the Bills in their quest to get back on track because the 3-1 Texans are without question one of the best teams in the NFL.
Oh, and they’ll also be facing a pretty motivated opponent by the name of Stefon Diggs, the star wide receiver who Buffalo traded to Houston in the offseason.
Diggs played it cool during the week, opting not to feed into the storyline, for instance, with his ever active social media accounts. As for the Bills, they too spent the week complimenting Diggs for the four superb years he had in Buffalo.
“Stef’s playing at a high level,” coach Sean McDermott said. “He was a really good player here and competitive, as you guys know, and he’s highly competitive on tape, as I watch, and playing at a high level. So, it’ll be a big challenge for us.”
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Houston only needed seven seconds. C.J. Stroud completed over the middle to Dare Ogunbowale for 5 yards and the Texans called timeout with two seconds remaining. Ka’imi Fairbairn drilled a 59-yard field goal as time expired.
Josh Allen completed 9 of 30 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown and James Cook rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Dorian Williams led the Bills defense with 12 tackles and recovered a fumble.
C.J. Stroud went 28 of 38 with for 331 yards with a touchdown, interception and lost a fumble. Stefon Diggs had six catches for 82 yards against his former team.
Houston improves to 4-1. Buffalo has lost two straight games and is 3-2.
Buffalo essentially forced overtime but ended up giving Houston another chance at a game-winning drive. The Bills, with no timeouts left and starting at their 3-yard line with 32 seconds left, chose to throw. Josh Allen went deep for Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins and Keon Coleman and all were incomplete. That only took 16 seconds of game clock. Sam Martin punted 56 yards and Robert Woods returned it 13 yards to the Bills’ 46-yard line with seven seconds remaining.
Houston put itself in position for a long field goal attempt. C.J. Stroud converted a third-and-6 with an 11-yard completion to Dalton Schultz. Dare Ogunbowale took a short reception 11 yards to the Bills’ 44 on third-and-10. Ogunbowale rushed for 2 yards and Schultz caught a pass for 3 yards to the Bills’ 39. Houston snapped the ball with 44 seconds left and decided to pass even though the Bills had no timeouts left. Stroud was flagged for intentional grounding, taking Houston out of field goal range. Tommy Townsend stuck a 46-yard punt at the Bills’ 3-yard line.
Josh Allen missed one play and re-entered the game. He threw two incompletions and Tyler Bass tied the game with a 33-yard field goal after the Texans’ turnover.
Buffalo’s defense forced a massive turnover. Defensive end Dawuane Smoot got a strip sack on C.J. Stroud and linebacker Dorian Williams recovered at the Texans’ 15-yard line.
Buffalo gained a first down on an 18-yard scramble by Josh Allen but Allen was injured on the ensuing third down. Allen threw an incomplete pass and was taken down by his legs by defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. Allen stayed down on his side, rolled onto his back and was tended to by medical staff. He went into the medical tent for evaluation.
Buffalo is happy to have Terrel Benard back. Bernard picked off C.J. Stroud over the middle on a pass intended for Stefon Diggs at the Bills’ 19 yard line.
The Bills closed the third quarter with a James Cook 11-yard run, Houston defensive holding penalty and Josh Allen scramble for 19 yards to the Texans’ 46-yard line. James Cook rushed for 2 yards, Ty Johnson was hit in the backfield for a 2-yard loss and cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. knocked the ball away from Marquez Valdes-Scantling on third-and-9. Sam Martin punted 33 yards to the Texans’ 12-yard line.
The Bills have scored 14 straight points and the Texans punted again. Stefon Diggs opened the possession with a 17-yard catch but then Houston couldn’t get another first down. Offensive guard Shaq Mason was flagged for holding, C.J. Stroud’s completion to Cade Stover gained 1 yard, Cam Akers made a 6-yard catch and Stroud was forced to scramble for 5 yards on third-and-13. Tommy Townsend punted 41 yards and Houston was penalized 5 yards for an illegal touch kick to star the Bills at their 19-yard line.
Buffalo went for it on fourth-and-5 from the Texans’ 49-yard line. Rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman made Houston pay. Coleman made a short catch, Texans rookie cornerback Kamari Lassiter whiffed and Coleman went down the left sideline for the touchdown.
The Bills are 7-for-7 this year on fourth down.
Houston has two field goals on its last five possessions. This time the Texans went three-and-out. Tank Dell caught a screen pass for 2 yards, Cam Akers ran up the middle for 5 yards but Houston faced third-and-8 after a false start. C.J. Stroud’s pass for Dalton Schultz was incomplete. Tommy Townsend punted just 33 yards to the Bills’ 35.
Josh Allen has completed 7 of 20 passes for 82 yards. Somehow the Bills are only down 10 points. James Cook ran for a 5-yard touchdown to cap a 70-yard touchdown drive for Buffalo. Ty Johnson opened the drive with a 19-yard run. Two plays later, Allen scrambled for 8 yards and Houston safety Jalen Pitre was called for unnecessary roughness for hitting Allen after the quarterback slid. Allen completed a pass over the middle to Dalton Kincaid for 26 yards to set up the the touchdown.
Houston got three points on the first possession of the second half. C.J. Stroud had back-to-back completions to Xavier Hutchinson for 12 yards and 19 yards to get into field-goal range. Stroud took a shot from defensive end Greg Rousseau on third-and-5 and his pass went off the hands of Dalton Schultz. Ka’imi Fairbairn made his second field goal of the game.
Houston wide receiver Nico Collins will not return with a hamstring injury and safety Jimmie Ward is out for the remainder of the game with a groin injury.
That was an ugly half for the Bills. Josh Allen has completed 6 of 18 passes for 56 yards for the Bills, who have 103 yards of offense. C.J. Stroud is 12 of 15 for 187 yards and a touchdown for the Texans.
In the worst half Josh Allen has played in years, the Bills are fortunate to walk into the locker room down only 17-3 because it sure felt like it was worse.
The Bills close an awful first half with Allen nearly throwing two interceptions, and then they allowed a 36-yard punt return to near midfield which allowed the Texans’ Ka’imi Fairbairn to kick a 50-yard field goal as time expired.
Allen finished the half 6 of 18 for 56 yards and the Bills looked helpless on offense.
Josh Allen threw three straight incompletions. Sam Martin punted 59 yards but Robert Woods returned it 36 yards to the Texans’ 49-yard line.
C.J. Stroud threw an incompletion on third-and-2 and the Bills forced a punt to get the ball back before halftime. Tommy Townsend punted 61 yards and Brandon Codrington returned it 5 yards to the Bills’ 28-yard line.
Dalton Kincaid nearly made a long catch for a first down but officials ruled he juggled the ball as he was trying to drag his feet for a toe tap. Bills head coach Sean McDermott didn’t challenge the play and Sam Martin punted 41 yards to the Texans’ 8-yard line.
Buffalo’s offense looked better, with Allen completing passes to Dalton Kincaid and Mack Hollins for 8 yards and 6 yards, respectively. Allen connected with Hollins for 21 yards to cross midfield before a pass to James Cook lost 7 yards.
Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard, making his return from a pectoral injury, made a big stop on fourth-and-1. Bernard stuffed Dare Ogunbowale for no gain at the Bills’ 16-yard line. Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell did most of the damage to get Houston into the red zone. Diggs had catches of 14 yards and 13 yards and Dell made receptions for 9 yards and 19 yards.
Buffalo gained one first down and punted. Josh Allen scrambled for 10 yards and nearly fumbled the ball but was out of bounds first. James Cook rushed for 1 yards, Allen threw two straight incompletions and after a false start on the punt formation, Sam Martin punted 63 yards to the Texans’ 2. Robert Woods returned it 17 yards to the Texans’ 19-yard line.
Josh Allen has started 1 for 9 for 24 yards.
Nico Collins headed into the locker room with a hamstring injury early in the second quarter. He’s questionable to return.
The Texans began their third possession at their 33 thanks to a poor 38-yard punt by Sam Martin, and once again, the Bills defense was simply awful. All it took was one play as Nico Collins blew past the secondary and reeled in a perfectly thrown 67-yard TD pass from CJ Stroud. Damar Hamlin looked silly on the play.
Buffalo went backward after starting at its 30-yard line following a touchback. Josh Allen was pressured by defensive end Danielle Hunter and threw incomplete, James Cook ran up the middle for 4 yards and a false start by offensive tackle Spencer Brown pushed the Bills into a third-and-11. On third down Allen threw incomplete near the left sideline for Keon Coleman. Sam Martin punted 38 yards to the Texans’ 33-yard line.
Allen has started 1 of 7 for 24 yards.
The Bills defense got absolutely smoked on Houston’s second possession and the Texans now have a 7-3 lead as Cam Akers ran 15 yards through the middle almost untouched for a touchdown.
The Texans needed only six plays to go 70 yards thanks to a CJ Stroud 28-yard pass to Dare Ogunbowale, an 11-yard pass to Nico Collins thanks to a terrible missed tackle by rookie safety Cole Bishop, and an 11-yard run by Akers before his score.
Houston starting linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair received oxygen and spoke with athletic trainers on the sideline when the Texans’ offense was on the field. Al-Shaair was listed as questionable with an illness.
The Bills started their second possession at midfield after a short Houston punt, and they were moving smartly downfield until they reached first-and-goal at the 9 and then it all blew up.
A James Cook run was stuffed, Josh Allen suffered a sack, Keon Coleman had a false start, and on third-and-20 Allen threw incomplete toward Coleman, so they had to settle for a 38-yard Tyler Bass field goal, which, yes, he did make.
The drive began so well as James Cook had a 24-yard pass reception and four straight runs that totaled 26 yards before the drive died.
Buffalo’s defense got an instant boost in linebacker Terrel Bernard’s return. Dare Ogunbowale was dropped for a 2-yard loss on a reception by rookie defensive tackle DeWayne Carter, Ogunbowale ran up the middle for 4 yards then lost a yard on a carry. Tommy Townsend punted 40 yards to the Texans’ 49-yard line and Buffalo begins in Houston territory.
Buffalo received the ball first and went three-and-out. James Cook ran for 7 yards on the first play but Josh Allen threw incomplete to Mack Hollins and Dalton Kincaid. Sam Martin punted 55 yards to the Texans’ 8-yard line.
Well, even if the Bills were to lose Sunday to the Texans, they will remain alone in first place in the AFC East.
The Jets had a chance to get to 3-2 in London against the Vikings, and after falling behind 17-0 and looking overmatched, they rallied to within 23-17 and had the ball with a chance tp win in the final minute, but Aaron Rodgers threw his third interception of the game to old friend Stephone Gilmore, killing their comeback effort.
The Jets are now 2-3 and they’ll be pretty desperate next Monday night when they host the Bills, so maybe that’s not such a great thing for the Bills.
The last three times that Buffalo has ventured down to Houston, some crazy stuff has taken place which led to three Bills’ loss.
The last game here, of course, was the 2019 wild-card playoff showdown when the Bills blew a 16-0 third-quarter lead and fell 22-19 in overtime with Taiwan Jones – a Bills player before this game and then again after – made a huge catch and run play in overtime to set up the game-winning Houston field goal on a day when Deshaun Watson outplayed Josh Allen.
In 2018, Allen was making his fifth NFL start and in the third quarter, he suffered the only injury that has forced him to miss any games. He hurt his elbow when it was hit while he was making a throw, and Nathan Peterman had to come on in relief with the Bills trailing 10-3. Peterman led the Bills to a field goal and also threw a go-ahead TD pass to Zay Jones early in the fourth, but then he threw a game-deciding pick-six with 1:23 remaining and the Bills fell 20-13.
And back in 2014, EJ Manuel’s Bills’ career essentially ended when he threw an interception that JJ Watt returned 80 yards for a go-ahead Houston TD in the third quarter. And even though Manuel threw an 80-yard TD to Mike Williams to get the Bills within 20-17 in the fourth, but they eventually lost 23-17 and coach Doug Marrone benched Manuel the following week in favor or Kyle Orton. Manuel started only two games thereafter before leaving the Bills at the end of 2016.
The Bills will indeed have linebacker Terrel Bernard back Sunday against the Texans, but nickel cornerback Taron Johnson is still unable to return and is inactive for the game.
He is joined by wide receiver Khalil Shakir, defensive tackles Ed Oliver and Austin Johnson, safety Taylor Rapp, linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio and offensive lineman Will Clapp.
Active for the Bills is newly-acquired defensive tackle Zion Logue as well as Branson Deen who was elevated from the practice squad. With Javon Solomon on the edge and DeWayne Carter at tackle, that’s four rookies on the Bills defensive line for this game.
The Texans also have a couple of key players out. Running backs Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce are down, so Cam Akers is likely to shoulder the bulk of the running game, and right tackle Tytus Howard is another starter who won’t play.
The Bills might get linebacker Terrel Bernard into the lineup for the first time since early in the Week 2 victory over Miami when he partially tore a pectoral muscle.
Bernard practiced during the week and was given a game status of questionable, but Ian Rapaport of NFL Network reported Sunday morning that Bernard is expected to play. As for cornerback Taron Johnson, we won’t be sure until the inactives are announced at 11:30 a.m.
With wide receiver Khalil Shakir and defensive tackles Ed Oliver and Austin Johnson out, the Bills used their two practice squad elevations on wide receiver Tyrell Shavers and defensive tackle Branson Deen.
Shavers was an obvious choice, but the undrafted rookie Deen being picked over veteran Eli Ankou was a bit of a surprise.
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Once again, I do not like the matchup for the Bills. While true, they should be a motivated team looking to bounce back from that debacle in Baltimore Sunday night and that makes them a bit frisky and dangerous, but the continued lack of a downfield passing game is problematic, especially with Shakir out. And defensively, with Oliver and Miller out, if the Bills have to also play without Bernard, Johnson and Rapp, the Texans could have a huge day on offense. That’s why I have it Texans 28, Bills 23
∎ Cable/Network TV: CBS. The game will be available locally via the following stations: WROC channel 8 (Rochester area), WIVB channel 4 (Buffalo area), WTVH channel 5 (Syracuse area), WKTV channel 2 (Utica area), WENY channel 2 (Elmira area), WRGB channel 10 (Albany area), and WBNG channel 12 (Binghamton area).
∎ Online streaming services: You can watch games on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and you can subscribe to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, though you can’t cast the games to your TV – you must watch on your phone or tablet.
∎ TV streaming: You can also stream games if you have subscriptions to Spectrum, DirecTV, fuboTV, Sling, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and Paramount+.
You can listen on SiriusXM satellite radio on channel 381 (Bills feed) and channel 229 (Texans feed), and on traditional radio, the Bills Radio Network has stations all across the state. Chris Brown has the play-by-play, Eric Wood is the analyst, and Sal Capaccio is the sideline reporter. The network includes:
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, and he has written numerous books about the history of the team. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana.https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
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