It is only Week 1, but the NFL might have already seen a preview of the AFC Championship Game. The season-opening duel between the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans could very well go down as one of the campaign's most entertaining showdowns, too. The Bills' 36-31 triumph at Reliant Stadium had the feel of a postseason game, and it is only September.
The quarterbacks and defenses entered the game as the focal points, and while the defenses flipped pregame notions on their heads, the signal-callers lived up to expectations -- one for better, the other for worse. Houston's defense and its past dominance over Josh Allen vanished entirely in the clutch. Cornerback Kamari Lassiter had a chance to haul in a potential game-sealing interception in the end zone but dropped it, opening the door for Allen to pull off his typical heroics and deliver the decisive touchdown.
Just over a minute later, a leaky Bills defense that capped the team's upside in 2025 delivered when it needed to the most. Third-round rookie Deone Walker and veteran edge rusher Greg Rousseau sacked C.J. Stroud on the final series, and the latter resulted in a fumble that put the game on ice and sealed Buffalo's five-point advantage.
It was another collapse by Stroud and a positive sign for a Bills defensive front that, too often in the past, came up short in big moments. Below are four more takeaways from the Bills' thrilling Week 1 victory. Containing Josh Allen might be the single most difficult task for NFL defenses.
The Texans had been masters at that craft heading into 2026, though, with four wins in as many home matchups with the former MVP. The last two meetings featured two of Allen's worst performances against any opponent, as he completed a career-low 30% of his passes in 2024 and took a career-high eight sacks last year. It was a completely different experience on Sunday.
Allen completed 20 of 29 passes for 334 yards and two touchdowns, and he added 24 yards and two additional scores on the ground. It was vintage Josh Allen. What's more, he was clean in the turnover department and took a modest two sacks against the most fearsome edge rushing tandem in the league.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
