Three questions after the Buffalo Bills fall to the Houston Texans

Three questions after the Buffalo Bills fall to the Houston Texans

What we learned, what's trending now and what happens next after the Buffalo Bills lost to the Houston Texans, 23-19, on Thursday night.

buffalonews.com

1. What did we learn?​

The Houston Texans’ defense is as advertised. A Ray Davis kick return helped disguise some of the Bills’ flaws, but Houston was too much to overcome. The Texans bullied Bills quarterback Josh Allen all night as he tried to escape. Allen was sacked eight times on Thursday night for a loss of 70 yards. The Texans had three takeaways, including an interception that stopped what could have been a game-winning drive for the Bills. Instead, Texans safety Caleb Bullock logged his second pick of the game to seal the win.


Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins makes a touchdown catch against against the Bills during the second quarter Thursday at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News

2. What's trending now?​

Injuries. Again. It felt like half of the Bills spent time in the medical tent during this game. The injury bug at NRG Stadium was so bad that even referee Adrian Hill needed medical attention and took a cart off the field. Linebacker Terrel Bernard was ruled out with an elbow injury. Other Bills players returned, but among those that needed medical attention were left tackle Dion Dawkins, cornerback Christan Benford, wide receiver Khalil Shakir, right tackle Spencer Brown and defensive end A.J. Epenesa. Allen also had an injury scare early in the game, but he did not miss a play.

3. What happens next?​

The Bills have a few extra days to get ready for the Steelers, who they’ll face in Pittsburgh. The Steelers will face the Bears on Sunday. The Bills will need that time to get healthy, as well as to evaluate what they can improve on from Thursday night. The Texans' defense is formidable, no doubt, but the Bills' offense hurt itself throughout the sloppy loss. The Bills were 5 of 16 on third down, and they could not translate 326 yards of offense into more points. The defense has plenty of injuries to tend to as they also work to clean up.