Buffalo Bills @ Houston Texans
Final Score: HOU 23 – BUF 20
Writer: Cesar Escajeda (@cescajeda13 on Twitter)
A tale of two halves for both teams. The Texans came out swinging to start but the second half was all Buffalo with a furious rally to tie things up. This came down to the wire between two top teams in the AFC, but it was Houston that ultimately prevailed off of a last-second 59-yard field goal.
Two Up
- Stefon Diggs, WR (HOU) – A revenge game (of sorts) for the veteran wideout, Diggs had a solid game through the air, leading the Texans in targets, yards, and receptions (especially after teammate Nico Collins was sidelined with injury). Through five games this season the offseason trade for Diggs has looked fairly positive for Houston. He’s been a reliable weapon down the field for C.J. Stroud and picked up the slack against his former squad.
- Ka’imi Fairbairn, K (HOU) – Anytime you boot the game-winner in the waning seconds at home you’re riding high, but after two dud weeks for Fairbairn, the bounce-back he had in this one should feel even better. The veteran kicker went three-for-three on field goals and perfect on both extra-point attempts, with his longest on the day being the kick that sealed the win for the Texans. A true “Up” performance, indeed.
One Down
- The Bills Offense – Don’t let the final score fool you – across the board, in this matchup the Bills struggled mightily. It started with the offensive line, who didn’t yield more than a single sack all game but still allowed massive pressure to affect Josh Allen on his throws. The playcalling was middling at best, coupled with the fact that the Bills’ receivers were bottled up all day by the Texans’ secondary. The most damming stat on the afternoon was the sub-33% completion percentage and measly 126 yards total yards passing.
Buffalo Bills
Quarterback
Josh Allen: 9/30, 131 Yards, 1 TD | 4 Carries, 54 Yards
This was less than stellar, to say the least from the MVP hopeful.
The entire offense was off rhythm on the day, especially out of the gate. Allen was at the tip of the spear and just couldn’t connect consistently with anyone, mustering only three total points in the first half. The second half was kinder, with the Bills running game & defense pushing the score even – but at the end of the game with the ball in his hands, Allen couldn’t find anyone and gave it back to Houston with just enough time for their eventual go-ahead FG.
The Texans did Allen and co. no favors certainly, but you still expect more from a player the caliber of Allen; he simply didn’t deliver here. The fact that almost 40% of his total passing yards on the day came from a single short pass (that only became more due solely to the efforts of his receiver) speaks volumes for how bad it got in Houston.
Running Back
James Cook: 20 Carries, 82 Yards, 1 TD | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 17 Yards
Cook was allowed to cook as much as he could against Houston, one of the few bright spots for Buffalo in the loss.
Averaging 4.1 YPC, Cook was one of the few consistent players for Buffalo against a stingy Texans front seven. Playing from behind to start the second half capped his potential, but when his number was called, he ran hard and kicked off the comeback effort on the afternoon. They aren’t mind-blowing numbers, but steady production and consistency rewarded the fantasy owners who started him after a poor showing last week in Baltimore.
Ty Johnson: 3 Carries, 15 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Keon Coleman: 5 Targets, 1 Reception, 49 Yards, 1 TD
The rookie led all pass catchers for Buffalo on a single 49-yard reception. Granted, it was a very impressive catch that Coleman willed into the endzone through his speed and spry moves, but it felt hollow given the other targets he and Allen failed to connect on. Still, what he managed to do to score was impressive and the hope is that he can carry that momentum forward as one of the better options in the WR corps for Buffalo.
Dalton Kincaid: 6 Targets, 2 Receptions, 34 Yards
Kincaid has been one of the more disappointing performers through the first few weeks of the season, but has looked to pick up some stride of late. It wasn’t much given how badly the offense struggled, but he managed to tie the team lead in targets and came second behind Coleman in yardage with 34 yards. It is low, but a trend in the right direction for those who bet high on Kincaid having a breakout year.
Mack Hollins: 6 Targets, 2 Receptions, 27 Yards
A smattering of targets for Hollins, but not a lot to show for it, unfortunately.
Ray Davis: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 4 Yards
Marquez Valdes-Scantling: 3 Targets
Curtis Samuel: 4 Targets, 1 Reception | 1 Carry, -1 Yards
Houston Texans
Quarterback
C.J. Stroud: 28/38, 331 Yards, 1 TD, 1 INT (1 FUM – Lost)| 3 Carries, 27 Yards
Stroud had two bad turnovers that rendered the game a lot closer than it should have been, but still performed up to the task and came out of it with the win.
The Texans put up two quick scores in the first quarter, the second being an absolute bomb of a throw to Nico Collins in stride for the walk-in TD. From there it became more of a slogged-out affair, with the Texans logging field goal after field goal to push the lead as much as they could. When the second half came around, however, Stroud fell back to Earth, coughing the ball out twice to help Buffalo set up nicely to tie it up. In the end though, the Texans were put in a solid position by their defense and special teams to seal the deal on Fairbairn’s kick – still, as good as Stroud was to start, his performance to close the win out was a bit concerning.
Running Back
Cam Akers: 9 Carries, 42 Yards, 1 TD | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 5 Yards
Joe Mixon has been out for the last three games, and in his place, Akers has done his best to produce on the ground for Houston.
Drawing the start, Akers was off to a good game with the opening TD on Houston’s second possession and averaged a healthy 4.7 YPC down the stretch. It was an admirable performance and rewarded those who started him in their lineups this week, but was a bit shadowed in comparison to teammate Dare Ogunbowale and his touch share. When Mixon comes back both are likely just change of pace options, but it was a decent effort put forth in the win by Akers.
Dare Ogunbowale: 15 Carries, 30 Yards | 7 Targets, 6 Receptions, 57 Yards
It was eye-opening that Ogunbowale out-touched Akers by nearly double the carries, but it was even more impressive how involved he was in the passing game.
Ogunbowale tied for the team lead in receptions and came second on the team in overall targets for Houston. They weren’t world-beating numbers, but it was still a nice performance by the third string back and proved how good a safety blanket he could be for Stroud. It may just be enough to warrant more opportunities behind Mixon down the road.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Stefon Diggs: 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 82 Yards
Diggs has had the opportunity to play two of his former teams this season, putting forth a reliable effort against his more recent squad on Sunday afternoon.
It helped his production that Nico Collins was knocked out of the game early, but Diggs found himself the focal point of the passing attack as Stroud looked his way a multitude of times with his WR1 absent. The former Bill did well with the extra attention and moved the sticks several times, averaging a positive 13.7 yards per catch. This wasn’t a lights-out game against his former team by any means, but he did just enough to make them see what they were missing as the Texans eked out the win. It remains to be seen what will happen with Collins’ situation going forward, but should he be forced to miss any time, the expectation is that Diggs will fill in nicely.
Nico Collins: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 78 Yards, 1 TD
A bad hamstring hampered what could have been an even bigger day for Collins at home.
Stroud and Collins were busy lighting up the scoreboard early before the wideout was forced to exit at the end of the first quarter. He looked fast and perfectly fine on his streaking 67-yard TD catch, but apparently, there was something wrong as it was the last play Collins would log before being ruled out. There’s likely concern about the severity of what’s bothering the star receiver’s hamstring, but the hope is that it’s not a serious issue that forces him to miss any additional time.
Tank Dell: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 38 Yards | 1 Carry, -5 Yards
It wasn’t a ton for Tank, but it was honest work.
Dell has been more of an afterthought on offense to start 2024 off, but he was still a reliable option for Stroud in the passing game in this one. Back after a week’s absence due to injury, Dell caught everything sent his way and provided a comfortable second option when Collins was knocked out. Depending on what happens on the injury front, Dell may be a curious prospect for next week.
Dalton Schultz: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 34 Yards
Schultz proved to be a safe go-to option for Stroud, registering the third-most targets on the Texans roster and moving the sticks a number of times to keep the offense on the field. The future is a toss-up obviously in Houston, but I expect Schultz to be a factor in the gameplan.
Xavier Hutchinson: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 31 Yards
Cade Stover: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 6 Yards