Houston, Texas (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Bills lost 23-19 to the Houston Texans on Thursday night, and now fall to 7-4 on the season.
Here are my Arrows Up and Down from the contest, starting Down after the loss:
ARROW DOWN:
The entire offensive line
The Bills' offensive line got dominated by the Texans' defensive front most of the night, both physically and statistically.
Eight sacks allowed!
This is the stat that illustrates the point above the most.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen was under pressure all night, sacked a total of eight times, and the Houston defense was credited with 12 quarterback hurries!
Far too many of both.
11 tackles for loss-against/negative plays
Houston’s defense tackled Bills players behind the line of scrimmage 11 times!
Josh Allen not throwing it away
Yes, he was under duress, but several times Allen had a chance to throw the ball away but didn’t. Instead, he tried to keep the play alive and was sacked.
Joe Brady and offensive staff
Once again, Brady and his staff didn’t have enough answers for what the Texans were doing upfront. Plays taking too long to develop, not enough protection for Allen, and getting a fourth-down play-call in late that ultimately lost yardage and turned the ball over.
Dion Dawkins’ false start
Yes, the offensive line got an Arrow Down, but Dawkins get one separately for such a critical penalty on 4th-and-1 on the final drive, forcing a 4th-and-6.
Khalil Shakir’s fumble
Trailing 20-16 late in the third quarter, Allen hit Shakir for a first down, but Shakir fumbled the ball away. That gave the Texans a first down at the Bills' 22-yard line and an eventual field goal.
Ray Davis taking kick out of the end zone
Davis had just returned a kickoff for a touchdown, but on the opening kickoff of the second half, he caught the ball five yards deep in his own end zone and decided to take it out. He only got to the 20 yard line.
Not taking a knee cost the Bills 15 yards of field position.
Field position
The Bills' average starting field position was their own 20-yard line. The Texans' average start was their own 36-yard line.
That’s a massive difference.
Penalties on returns
In the first quarter alone, the Bills were called for a penalty on a kickoff return and one on a punt return that forced them to start those drives inside their own 20-yard line.
Defensive line
The Bills defensive line was also dominated for most of this game. The Bills did not sack Texans quarterback Davis Mills at all, and were credited with just four quarterback hurries.
Texans drive after Bills kickoff return touchdown
Right after Davis scored a touchdown on a kickoff return, the Texans got the ball at their own 25-yard line with 1:35 remaining before halftime. They quickly went 75 yards in six plays, and scored a touchdown to take a lead they never gave back.
Matt Prater's missed extra point
Prater missed the extra point after the Bills' first touchdown. It loomed large most of the game, as far as the difference in score and decision-making.
Third-down offense
The Bills went 5-for-16 (31.3%) on third down.
Red zone offense
The Bills had the ball inside the Texans' 20-yard line twice and failed to score a touchdown either time.
ARROW UP:
4th-and-27 hook-and-ladder
When it looked like the game was about to end, the Bills pulled off an excellent hook-and-lateral with Joshua Palmer catching the ball, and flipping it to Khalil Shakir for a 33-yard gain and a first down.
Ray Davis’ kick return
Davis was close last week, but broke through in this one, taking a kick return 97 yards for the touchdown.
S - Cole Bishop
Bishop was extremely physical and around the ball quite a bit, finishing with six total tackles.
Second half defense
The Bills defense was excellent in the second half, holding the Texans to just 60 total net yards.
Third down defense
The Texans were just 2-for-12 (16%) on third down.
Going for it on fourth down at their own 28
On the first drive the of the game, the Bills faced a 4th-and-1 from their own 28-yard line and went for it. A gutsy call by head coach Sean McDermott, but Allen leaped for the first down.
Fourth down throw to Ty Johnson
Later, facing a 4th-and-2 from the Houston 37-yard line, Allen threw a terrific fade to Johnson for a 23-yard gain and first down.
Slowing down Nico Collins
The excellent Texans wideout was held to just three catches for 55 yards.
Khalil Shakir’s yards after catch
Shakir was, again, excellent with the ball in his hands, gaining quite a bit of his 110 yards after the catch.
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