The Buffalo Bills finally ended their struggles in Houston on Sunday, defeating the Texans 36-31 in a back-and-forth season opener that came down to a pair of plays in the final two minutes.
Josh Allen put Buffalo ahead late in the fourth quarter when he found Joshua Palmer over the middle for a 34-yard touchdown with less than two minutes remaining. The Bills’ defense then closed out the victory when Greg Rousseau sacked Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud with 16 seconds left, forcing a fumble that linebacker Terrel Bernard recovered.
The win gave Buffalo its first victory in Houston since 2006 and marked Allen’s first career win as a starting quarterback against the Texans at their home stadium. Allen had entered the afternoon 0-4 in his previous four starts there.
Allen completed 20-of-29 passes for 334 yards and two touchdowns while adding two rushing scores. His second-quarter touchdown run covered 21 yards, as he broke through the middle of the Houston defense to keep Buffalo’s offense moving.
The Bills also received significant production from two important pieces of their offense. DJ Moore, acquired during the offseason, made an immediate impact in his Buffalo debut with five catches for 100 yards and a touchdown.
Dalton Kincaid was another major weapon for Allen in his return from last season’s torn posterior cruciate ligament. Kincaid finished with five receptions for 130 yards.
Buffalo’s 36 points were the most Houston’s defense had allowed since December 2023.
The victory also gave Joe Brady a win in his first game as Buffalo’s head coach. He became just the fourth coach in franchise history to win his debut, joining Marv Levy, Rex Ryan and Sean McDermott.
GAME RECAP LINKS
- Buffalo wins wild opener behind Josh Allen heroics. Bills vs. Texans score, highlights, stats (democratandchronicle.com)
- Josh Allen finally gets his Houston breakthrough as Bills rally past Texans – Observations (syracuse.com)
- Horns Up, Horns Down for Buffalo Bills NFL Week 1 (buffalorumblings.com)
MEDIA
Josh Allen had his 9th career game with 2 pass TD and 2 rush TD Sunday, 5 more than any other player in NFL history
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) September 13, 2026
Allen matched a career-high with 11 completions of more than 10 air yards in the win, going 11-of-15 for 286 yards and 2 TD on those throws. pic.twitter.com/cG17N06c0K
Feels like centuries ago right now, but I absolutely loved Joe Brady going for it on 4th down on the first series of the game and was going to go for it on the second series (until the presnap penalty). I think that was a nice message to sent to his team (and fans) immediately
— Patrick Moran (Talking Buffalo) (@PatrickMoranTB) September 13, 2026
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.