Buffalo Bills Week 4 Opponent Preview: Houston Texans

In Week 3, the Buffalo Bills cruised past the Washington Football Team in a well-rounded 43-21 victory that saw Josh Allen win the AFC Offensive Player of the Week. The Bills will look to win their third game in a row when the Houston Texans come to town in Week 4.

Buffalo Bills All-Time Record vs Houston

The Buffalo Bills are 4-6 all-time against the Texans. The Texans have won five of the last six meetings between the two clubs dating back to 2009. The lone win for the Bills came in 2015 when they defeated the Texans 30-21 in Week 13. The average margin of defeat during that stretch is 9.8 points.

Last Meeting

The Buffalo Bills and the Houston Texans last met in the Wild Card Round of the 2019 playoffs. The Bills would jump out to a 16-0 lead before allowing 19 unanswered points to Houston. The game went into overtime tied at 19, and Ka’imi Fairbairn would drill a 28 yard game-winning field goal to send the Bills home in a heartbreaking loss.

Last Week’s Result

For the second consecutive week, the Buffalo Bills are hosting a team coming off of a long week. The Houston Texans lost their Week 3 matchup with the Carolina Panthers 24-9.

Davis Mills completed 19 of 28 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown in what was a decent effort for the 2021 third round pick. Mills received little help from his offensive line against Carolina’s talented front four; he was sacked four times. The Texans were outgained by the Panthers 407-193 last Thursday night.

Houston’s defense struggled to slow down Carolina’s offense. They allowed Sam Darnold to throw for 304 yards on 34 attempts. The Panthers added 117 yards on the ground, split mostly between Christian McCaffery and Chuba Hubbard.

The Texans did have some positive things to take away defensively from their defeat however. They were able to sack Sam Darnold three times.

Former Bill and Pro Bowl kick returner Andre Roberts also returned two kicks for 57 yards last week.

Final Thoughts

The Buffalo Bills are on fire after back-to-back dominant wins over Miami and Washington, while the Texans are reeling after losses to Cleveland and Carolina. The Texans looked like a surprisingly competent team under Tyrod Taylor in Weeks 1 and 2, but after Taylor left the game against the Browns, Houston was forced to put Davis Mills into a position that he maybe is not ready for.

The Bills have been excellent against rookie quarterbacks under Sean McDermott. They’re 5-1 against first-year signal-callers since 2017, and the average point differential in those six games is 15 points. The Bills are rolling, while the Texans are still figuring things out with a rookie third-round quarterback. The Bills should be able to beat Houston comfortably in Week 4.