Buffalo Bills @Houston Texans Preview
The Buffalo Bills won their first Super Bowl title on the road against the Houston Texans in Week 1, but they faced a rough start.
The 2025 season saw another heartbreaking performance in the Bills’ 33-30 divisional round loss to the Denver Broncos when quarterback Josh Allen was intercepted twice, including one in overtime. The Bills have since made coaching changes, with Sean McDermott fired and offensive coordinator Joe Brady promoted to the top job.
The Bills gave Allen another weapon when they traded veteran wide receiver DJ Moore to the Chicago Bears.
The arrival of Moore gives Allen arguably the most well-rounded skill player the 2024 MVP has had during his time in Western New York, but he may struggle to find immediate success against the highly touted Texans defense.
Allen has faced the Texans on the road four times in his career and lost all of those games, including in the wild-card round of the 2019 playoffs.
Last season, the Texans won this game 23-19 in a game in which Allen was sacked an astonishing eight times.
Houston’s aggressive defense will hopefully cause Allen and the Bills similar problems this time around. Of primary concern to the home team is the supporting cast of quarterback C.J. Stroud, whose four-interception performance in last season’s divisional-round loss to the New England Patriots earned him widespread attention heading into the new season.
Stroud has lost a key weapon in wide receiver Jaden Higgins, who is out for the season with a torn ACL. The Texans acquired Kayshon Boutte from the Patriots to make up for the loss of Higgins, but the bulk of their offense will likely go through top receiver Nico Collins.
Despite not having a ton of depth at the skill positions, Texas head coach DeMeco Rains believes Stroud is ready to silence the doubters and immediately show off the progress he made during the offseason.
“I love CJ’s growth and development because he’s been so consistent,” Reigns said.
“He’s been consistent. He’s grown. Just seeing him grow as a leader, seeing the way he operates in the offense, I’m excited to see him play.
“People have said a lot about CJ and he’s done a great job the past three years. We’ve made the playoffs every year because we have a talented young quarterback who has led us to the playoffs.
“I’m grateful to have him as our quarterback. He’s done a great job for us. He’s taken a big step in his growth this year and now it’s time to show them.”