There’s no denying that the Houston Texans are one of the very few teams that create a mismatch for the Buffalo Bills. Since 2015, the Bills have only beaten the Texans twice (and one of those wins was in 2021 when Houston was near the bottom of the league). Buffalo and Houston will meet this Sunday, and the Bills will be looking to get revenge from their 23-19 embarrassing loss from last season.
Houston's defense is elite with one of the best pass-rushing duos in the league. Now, the big question with them is whether or not the offense can get going with C.J. Stroud under center. After one of the best rookie seasons in 2023, Stroud has been extremely inconsistent so he will need to prove himself against a new-look Bills defense.
Heading into this matchup, the Bills will have their hands full overall with the Texans. However, there are five Texans players that could be big time nightmares for the Bills down in Houston.
5 Texans that could be a handful for Bills in Week 1
DE Will Anderson Jr.
Bills fans certainly remember seeing Anderson chase down Josh Allen in last year's matchup. He caused absolute havoc against Buffalo's offensive line. After signing a new three-year extension this offseason, the Texans have locked in their pass rusher moving forward and he is now just entering his prime.
Anderson is coming off back-to-back double digit sack seasons, and he also had 3 forced fumbles last season. Whether he lines up over Dion Dawkins or Spencer Brown, he is going to be a massive problem for Buffalo's offense.
DE Danielle Hunter
As if one elite pass rusher wasn't good enough. Danielle Hunter has had four consecutive seasons of 10+ sacks, which includes getting 15 last season that ranked third in the league. You could make the argument that Hunter is a better pass rusher than Anderson right now.
Again, it doesn't matter if it's Dion Dawkins or Spencer Brown lined up over him, Hunter is bound to get some kind of production. Bills fans just have to hope that it doesn't come at a critical time of the game.
WR Nico Collins
Nico Collins is one of the league's most overlooked superstar wide receivers, but his durability has been effected as he has battled injuries throughout his career. Standing at 6'4", Collins is a great vertical threat down the field who can take the offense over the top.
Buffalo's got a newly revamped defense under Jim Leonhard and they tend to play more man-to-man rather than zone coverage. It will be interesting to see who will be lined up on Collins throughout the game.
RB David Montgomery
The Texans traded for running back David Montgomery this offseason from the Detroit Lions and he should bring a ground-and-pound game in the rushing attack. Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs were one of the best 1-2 punches in the league the last few seasons.
Now with Montgomery being in Houston, it will be him and Woody Marks rushing the ball. However, Montgomery is a very physical back in-between the tackles and with the Bills' run-defense being one of the worst last season, they will need to find a way to take away Montgomery's abilities on Sunday.
CB Derek Stingley Jr.
If it wasn't for Patrick Surtain II out in Denver, the Texans would have the best cornerback in the game with Derek Stingley Jr. He is one of the true shutdown corners in the game and it would not be surprising to see him lined up over DJ Moore.
For as great as Josh Allen is through the air, he will be tested by Stingley all game long and it wouldn't be surprising to see Allen do in different directions rather than towards Stingley.
Add us as a preferred source on Google