Bills at Texans: Stock up/down from Buffalo’s Week 1 win
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The Buffalo Bills took down the Houston Texans on the road at Reliant Stadium in a game that came down to the wire, 36-31.
Buffalo was led by Josh Allen and his new receiving target DJ Moore, connecting multiple times, including a touchdown strike. Defensively, the Bills struggled to shut down the Texans run game led by newly acquired David Montgomery but ultimately got the job done late with a forced fumble.
Below is the stock up and down from Buffalo’s Week 1 win:
Stock up
Josh Allen played mistake-free football all game long and led the Bills to a huge win on the road. Allen was dialed, connecting on 20 of his 29 pass attempts for 334 yards and two passing touchdowns. He also got involved on the ground, rushing six times for 23 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Allen connected with his new target Moore on a 43-yard touchdown, and also Joshua Palmer late in the fourth for a game-winning 34-yard touchdown.
Dalton Kincaid is one of the most productive receiving tight ends in the league when healthy, and today he was a vital piece to the Bills pass game. He finished with five receptions and led the Bills in receiving yards with 130.
The Bills’ big offseason move was trading for Moore to pair alongside Josh Allen and his former coach Joe Brady, and today the trio put up numbers. Moore finished with five receptions for 100 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Offensive line
The Bills offensive line held their own in this win over Houston. After allowing eight sacks last season to this same defensive front, Buffalo held the Texans to just two sacks.
Deone Walker is now entering his second season in the league with a new role at nose tackle in Jim Leonhard’s 3-4 defense. Walker had a physical impact up front, splitting blocks and getting multiple tackles behind or at the line of scrimmage. He finished the game with six total tackles, one sack on Stroud, and two tackles for loss.
Greg Rousseau had the biggest impact on the defensive side of the ball, forcing two fumbles, one coming late in the fourth, strip-sacking Stroud to end the game. Rousseau finished with four total tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, five hits on Stroud, one pass deflection, and the two strip-sacks.
Joe Brady officially got his first win under his belt as the Bills head coach. Brady called a great game on the offensive side of the ball against a tough Houston defense, putting up three touchdowns in the second quarter alone. He will look to get his team back to Buffalo and get ready for their quick turnaround, facing the Detroit Lions in their home opener Thursday night.
Stock down
Run defense
The Bills could not stop the Texans run game in the first half, allowing Houston’s new running back David Montgomery to rush for over 60 yards and two touchdowns. Buffalo allowed 94 total rushing yards in the first half.
The Bills CB1 struggled in coverage against Texans WR1 Nico Collins. Benford allowed Collins seven receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown. He struggled in coverage, as did the entire secondary, as they’re still getting acclimated to the new scheme in the first week of the regular season.
Pass coverage
Aside from Collins, the Bills secondary allowed too many open men downfield which kept Stroud and the Texans offense on the field for extended time. The Bills broke down in coverage and allowed a 35-yard gain to Jaylin Noel, along with a 20-yard third-down conversion to Xavier Hutchinson against new nickel corner Dee Alford.
Penalties
With a flag-happy referee crew, the Bills and Texans got called a lot. Buffalo and Houston got called for a combined 17 penalties for 191 yards. Buffalo was flagged 10 times for 85 yards.
Damar Hamlin, Christian Benford, and rookie Davison Igbinosun were all flagged in the secondary. On special teams, veteran Sam Franklin Jr. was flagged twice, one for holding which wiped away a Ray Davis return, and another for an illegal blindside block. Offensively, ineligible man downfield penalties, holdings on the offensive line, and too many men in the huddle deterred multiple drives.
About The Author
Daniel Adams
Writer for Built In Buffalo News. English and Journalism Student at St. Joseph’s University.
