Josh Allen walked into Houston carrying an old problem, and he walked out having erased it.
The Bills quarterback had spent years knocking down labels, from the draft-night skepticism to the turnover talk to the idea that he’d never consistently beat a certain kind of defense. Sunday brought another test case.
Allen had never won at Reliant Stadium, and plenty of people expected the Texans to keep him in check again. Instead, he controlled the game from the start and powered Buffalo to a 36-31 comeback win.
The first half was Allen at his sharpest. He completed 8 of 10 throws for 163 yards, added 24 rushing yards and accounted for three touchdowns as Buffalo piled up 24 points before halftime.
That was the most points a team had scored in a half against Houston’s defense since Week 2 of 2023. He also protected the ball, avoiding the kind of risky mistakes that have haunted other quarterbacks in this matchup.
The only turnover before halftime came when C.J. Stroud fumbled on Houston’s opening drive.
Allen didn’t let up after the break, either. He kept Buffalo in position and eventually delivered the game-winning touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter.
By the end of the day, he had topped 300 passing yards against a Texans defense that hadn’t allowed a 300-yard passer since the Dallas Cowboys and Cooper Rush did it on Nov. 18, 2024.
One of the biggest reasons the Bills were able to keep punching was Dalton Kincaid. The tight end turned in what could easily be remembered as his breakout game, finishing with a game-high 130 receiving yards.
His biggest moment came late in the fourth quarter, when Buffalo was down a point and Allen found him on a first-down throw over the middle. Kincaid turned it into a big gain in Texans territory, setting up Josh Palmer’s go-ahead touchdown three plays later.
Kincaid was a factor from the start. Early in the first half, with Buffalo pinned near its own end zone, Allen went play action and fired a deep ball down the middle to Kincaid, who climbed over Derek Stingley Jr. for the catch. Later, Kincaid showed off his hands again with a 40-yard gain on third down to extend another drive.
The Bills also got important defensive snaps from Greg Rousseau and Deone Walker. Rousseau helped spark Buffalo’s first points when Bradley Chubb pressured Stroud on third down and Rousseau finished the play with a sack and forced fumble. He led the Bills in pressures and then sealed the game late with another strip sack recovered by Terrel Bernard.
Walker had his own standout moments. He powered through an offensive lineman while also making a tackle on Woody Marks, and later came through with a sack on Stroud on Houston’s final drive, forcing the Texans to use their last timeout.
Buffalo’s defense wasn’t spotless, though. The run defense had issues throughout the afternoon, and Houston was able to average about 4 yards per carry. Several touchdown drives were built around the ground game, and Montgomery scored twice on the ground.
On the other side of the ball, Buffalo’s debuting wideout DJ Moore gave the offense another weapon. After a quiet start, Moore finished with five catches for 100 yards and scored on a 43-yard touchdown down the sideline in the second quarter. He also drew a pass interference call in the end zone that set Buffalo up at the 1-yard line.
There were still familiar problem areas for Buffalo. The penalties kept coming, with the Bills flagged 10 times for 85 yards. That has been a recurring issue for years, and it showed again in Joe Brady’s debut as head coach.
The offensive line had its own pressure points, especially after Houston had beaten Buffalo up badly with eight sacks in their last meeting. This time, the group held up far better around Allen. It wasn’t perfect - Dion Dawkins missed a block on an early fourth down, and Buffalo gave up two sacks - but the Texans’ pass rush was largely kept from taking over.
Tyler Bass also did his part. Buffalo leaned on him all afternoon, and he rewarded them with a perfect outing: three field goals and three extra points. Rookie punter Tommy Doman Jr. helped keep that clean day intact when he handled one high snap smoothly and allowed Bass to finish the kick.
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