Houston, Texas (WGR) - The Buffalo Bills found their way to a hard-fought 36-31 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday to start the 2026 season at 1-0.
That means I start this year’s regular season with my Arrows Up:
Houston, Texas - Houston Texans pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. pressures Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in the second quarter of a game at Reliant Stadium on Sept. 13, 2026. Tim Warner - Getty Images
ARROW UP:
Josh freaking Allen
The Bills quarterback played like an NFL MVP, and against one of the toughest defenses in the league. Allen was 20-of-29 (69%) for 334 yards and two touchdowns, while also running the ball six times for 23 yards with two more scores. In total, Allen accounted for 357 yards and four scores.
His "house of horrors" of Houston is no longer.
Dalton Kincaid
Kincaid finished with a career-high 130 yards receiving, and although he did not find the end zone, several of his catches were either big spots to get out of trouble or set the Bills up for scores.
Special teams/Jeff Rodgers
The special teams unit and coordinator Jeff Rodgers deserve a lot of credit for their overall performance in virtually every unit.
Kicker Tyler Bass was a perfect 6-for-6 on kicks, while Tommy Doman had a 63-yard punt, and the Bills' punt and kick coverage unit did a great job to limit field position.
Joe Brady
There can be things to debate along the way, but Brady gets a win in his head coaching debut, in a tough and hostile environment, and against a team the Bills have struggled with the last couple years.
Greg Rousseau
Rousseau filled up the box score and made critical plays from start-to-finish.
The veteran pass rusher registered two sacks, two forced fumbles, was credited with five quarterback hits, and even dropped into coverage to make a beautiful knockdown of a pass.
His second sack and fumble effectively sealed the game late in the fourth quarter.
Bills offensive line
After giving up eight sacks last year to this same unit, the Bills offensive line group only allowed two in this game.
Deone Walker
Walker continued where he left off last season, collecting six total tackles, including two for loss. One was a sack and the other was him reading a screen pass perfectly to blow it up in the backfield.
D.J. Moore
Moore collected 100 yards on five grabs, becoming only the second Bills player to ever have, at least, 100 yards receiving in his team debut, joining John Brown (2019).
O'Cyrus Torrence fumble recovery
With just over three minutes left in the game, the Bills trailing and at their own 4-yard line, running back James Cook took off for a first-down run but fumbled the ball. Luckily, Torrence was hustling down the field and managed to recover it.
The Bills scored the winning touchdown later that drive.
First half running game
The Bills started the game hot on the ground, running for 67 yards on 12 carriers, averaging 5.6 yards per-run.
Second-half run defense
After getting gassed for 94 yards and 5.9 yards per-carry in the first half, the Bills did a nice job to adjust, and the Texans ran 12 times for just 30 yards in the second half - an average of just 2.5 yards per-carry.
Houston, Texas - Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins catches a pass against the Buffalo Bills in the first quarter of a game at Reliant Stadium on Sept. 13, 2026. Alex Slitz - Getty Images
ARROW DOWN:
Christian Benford
It was a tough matchup against Nico Collins, but Benford got picked on early and gave up a couple big plays. He also had a pass interference that gave the Texans 21 yards of offense.
Too many open receivers downfield
The Texans just had too many receivers open against the Bills secondary, allowing quarterback C.J. Stroud to throw for 274 yards.
Third-down defense
Overall, the Texans converted 7-of-16 third down attempts (43.2%), but they were 4-for-6 in the first half - several of which also coming in third-and-long situations.
Penalties
The Bills really hurt themselves with penalties, getting called for 10 offenses for 85 yards - several of which occurred in critical situations.
The late Josh Allen throw
With the Bills trailing with just 1:48 left and the ball at the Texans' 34-yard line, Allen made an ill-advised decision to throw the ball deep as he was being pressured. Texans cornerback Kwame Lassiter should have intercepted it, but he dropped it, giving the Bills new life.
Luckily, on the very next play, Allen hit Joshua Palmer for the game-winning 34-yard score.
First-half run defense
The Bills allowed 94 yards and 5.9 yards per-carry in the first half.
Second-half rushing offense
The Bills ran nine times for 19 yards in the second half.
Pass play call on goal line
Trailing 14-10 in the second quarter and having a 1st-and-goal at the 1-yard line, Brady and/or Allen decided to throw a slant to wide receiver Khalil Shakir, and the ball was nearly intercepted. There was no need to do that.
Allen ran it in on a sneak on the next play.
Third-down offense
The Bills were just 3-for-9 (33.3%) on third down for the day.
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