Houston Texans (4-1) – Buffalo Bills (3-2): 23-20
The Texans were hot. On home soil, while they led the match for a good part of the match, they played to scare themselves against the Bills who were not in their best form. Houston produced twice as many yards as its opponent, but also twice as many penalties. A state of affairs which almost cost dearly in the last minutes, and it took a saving kick to win a duel which was closer than it should have been.
Buffalo, for its part, made the wrong move. The comeback almost succeeded, but the inconsistent passing game throughout the game did not allow the situation to be resolved at the fateful moment. The bursts were not enough, the Bills were behind the whole match and in the end the result was deserved for a squad which never knew how to take control of the match.
The Texans on the charge
If both teams hiccup in their attack in the opening series, it is James Cook (RB, 99 yards, 1 TD) who sets his pace and really starts the game by bringing Buffalo into the red zone. 3 small points follow to light up the scoreboard, because Houston puts a lot of pressure on Josh Allen (QB, 9/30, 131 yards, 1 TD) who has little time to compose his actions. It is indeed a missed opportunity because in response CJ Stroud (QB, 28/38, 331 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) looks for the short game, alerts Dare Ogunbowale (RB, 87 yards), then Nico Collins (WR , 78 yards, 1 TD) before Cam Akers (RB, 42 yards, 1 TD) pierces the New York defense to cross the line. No time to fool around, since from the next series Stroud finds Collins for 67 yards in the back of the cover to make the break.
At the start of the second quarter, Buffalo still could not find the solution. Penalties followed missed passes, the attack only made very brief appearances on the field and was under heavy pressure. Opposite, the Texans are rolling. Collins left with an injury, Tank Dell (WR, 38 yards) and Stefon Diggs (WR, 82 yards) took over. Despite everything, we had to wait until the last seconds of the period for new points to be scored, after several series of punts. A small field goal from Houston as the clock expires, and the Texans return to the locker room with a score of 17 to 3.
The Bills return
Back on the field, Houston takes off. Stroud distributes the leather to all his receivers, the attack progresses regularly and positions itself for a new field goal. The Bills finally start a reaction, notably thanks to Dalton Kincaid (TE, 34 yards), and return to the game when Cook crosses the line. The comeback is really underway when Allen finds Keon Coleman (WR, 49 yards, 1 TD) on a fourth down conversion. The receiver escapes along the line for 49 yards, avoids the tackles, and finds the paint. The gap is now only three points.
The match tightens inexorably. The Texans try to stifle the game by mounting a long drive that hits the doors of the red zone. However, the meeting turned upside down in a few minutes. Stroud is intercepted on the 20 line, then loses the ball on an improbable fumble which gives possession back to the Bills in his own camp. And even if Buffalo had to do without Allen for a few actions (out for a concussion test following a big tackle), the New Yorkers managed to equalize with only two minutes left to play. Especially since the Texans lose the opportunity to make the decision on a penalty that pushes them back out of range of a kick. The match point is in the hands of the Bills, who do nothing about it and return the leather to Houston in the middle of the field with 7 seconds to play. Just enough time to throw a small pass, and the kicker goes for the winning field goal from 59 yards away. The ball flies, zigzags in the air, and passes the posts! A close victory, the Texans are having a good time.
