Sean McDermott may be out of Buffalo, but he’s still watching the Bills with the kind of belief that only comes from having lived inside the building.
On "The Rich Eisen Show," the former Bills coach said he’s still pulling for the franchise to get to the Super Bowl - the one destination he couldn’t deliver before his dismissal last January. McDermott even went as far as to predict a Bills-Rams Super Bowl, and when asked if he still roots for Buffalo, he answered, “Why wouldn’t I?” He also credited the roster work Brandon Beane has done and called the Bills one of the NFL’s top Super Bowl contenders.
That belief gets stress-tested right away Sunday in Houston, where Buffalo opens against a Texans defense that tackle Spencer Brown described in emphatic terms.
“Their defense is easily the top defense in the NFL, in my opinion,” Brown said.
It’s a heavyweight Week 1 matchup for Buffalo, and a road win would only add fuel to the Bills’ early-season buzz. New England already opened with a loss, so Buffalo has a chance to grab an early edge in the AFC East before the race really gets moving.
The betting market has made this one tight, with the Bills favored by a point on the road at Houston.
Among the picks on the board, the Texans are getting plenty of respect. Sal Maiorana of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle took Houston 24, Buffalo 20, pointing to the Bills’ rough history in Houston and the challenge of facing what he sees as a defense that may be the NFL’s best. He picked the Texans to spoil Joe Brady’s debut.
Iain MacMillan of Sports Illustrated went a different direction and called for the over. He noted the Bills’ offensive additions, including DJ Moore at wide receiver, while saying the defense could look different with Matt Milano and Taron Johnson gone and a wave of young players in the mix. He also expects Buffalo’s offense to be explosive and believes Houston’s offense could be better than some bettors expect.
Frank Schwab of yahoo! sports took Texans +1, leaning on the physical edge of Houston’s defense.
He pointed to Josh Allen being sacked a career-high eight times in last season’s 23-19 loss to the Texans, calling it the kind of game where Allen rarely looks out of control - except when Houston’s defense took over. Schwab still has Buffalo winning the AFC, but says this is a difficult matchup and wouldn’t be stunned if the Texans followed a 2015 Broncos-style path.
Jeremy Cluff of AZ Central sided with Buffalo, picking the Bills 23, Texans 20. He called it a potential game of the week and noted the early spread was the smallest around, with the Bills favored by a point. His view: Josh Allen finishes the job late.
In Other News...
Texans Frustration With Josh Allen Could Get Even Worse
Josh Allen gave Houston plenty to handle in the Bills 2026 season opener, piling up three touchdowns in the first half and keeping Buffalo in control from the jump. The Texans also found themselves on the wrong end of one of the games most frustrating moments when defensive tackle Mario Edwards was flagged for roughing the passer after making illegal contact with Allen, a penalty that turned into a 15-yard walk-off and an automatic first down for Buffalo.
For a Houston defense already trying to find answers against one of the leagues toughest quarterbacks, the call only added to the sting. It also comes against the backdrop of the NFLs 2026 roughing-the-passer rules and the fines tied to those hits, which means the Texans may have to be even more careful going forward if they want to avoid giving Allen and the Bills any more easy yards. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Allen Did His Part But Bills Have A Bigger Problem
Josh Allen gave Buffalo exactly the kind of start it needed against Houston, accounting for three first-half touchdowns and keeping the offense on schedule from the opening snaps. His pair of rushing scores also moved him into a tie with Frank Gore and Ottis Anderson for 20th all-time in NFL rushing touchdowns, a reminder of how much Allen continues to do as both a passer and a runner. He finished the half 8 of 11 for 163 yards, and the Bills went into the break with a 24-21 edge.
The problem for Buffalo was on the other side of the ball, where the defense let Houston stack up 21 first-half points and forced the Bills into a shootout they probably did not want. Jim Leonhard has work to do in the second half to settle things down, because Allen can keep bailing out this offense only for so long. [Read more 🡒]
Stefon Diggs Is Taking Heat For Another Costly Mistake
Stefon Diggs finally found the end zone for Washington on a 10-yard pass from Jayden Daniels against the Eagles, a moment that should have been a clean early highlight in his new setting. Instead, the celebration turned into a problem when Diggs drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for hugging the goalpost, a move the NFL has banned since 2014.
The flag changed the math for Washington immediately, pushing the Commanders into an extra-point try instead of a 2-point attempt in a tight game. Philadelphia went on to win 24-22, leaving Diggs with a first touchdown that came with an expensive reminder about how little room there is for error in a close finish. [Read more 🡒]