The Texans want to be elite on defense. But against Josh Allen and the Bills they were far from it
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All offseason, all anyone could talk about was how good the Houston Texans' defense could be.
After coming off a season in which it finished No. 1 in the NFL in fewest passing yards allowed, the expectation - and rightfully so - was that this defense could not only match what it did but surpass it.
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This offseason, coach DeMeco Ryans vowed to get his offense up to speed and match the intensity the defense brought.
The offense delivered with 31 points Sunday, but apparently, Houston's defense didn't get the memo.
REPORT CARD:Grading Houston's performance vs. Buffalo
In fact, Sunday's season opener against the Buffalo Bills represented the opposite of those expectations.
The Bills' offense gained 409 total yards, and quarterback Josh Allen, who had struggled previously at Reliant Stadium, scored four touchdowns - two rushing and two passing - en route to a 36-31 victory over the Texans.
"Terrible," safety Calen Bullock said of the defense's performance. "There's nothing else you can say. We played terrible. We didn't play up to our standard."
The 36 points were tied for the second-most allowed since Ryans arrived in 2023. They also dampened the excitement around a season that started with more hype than any campaign in this franchise's 25-year history.
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Cornerback Kamari Lassiter sat at his locker long after the game ended, trying to process what had just happened.
He nearly ended the game - something Lassiter has done previously for the Texans - when he almost intercepted Allen in the end zone on the Bills' final possession. The ball was in his hands, but Lassiter got his feet crossed and dropped it as he hit the ground.
Still, the Bills faced third-and-11 from the Texans' 34-yard line with less than two minutes remaining. The Texans led 31-29, and had they stopped the Bills on that third down and forced a field goal, all their offense needed to do was drive downfield and kick a field goal to win.
But Allen targeted Lassiter again, this time connecting with receiver Josh Palmer on a 34-yard touchdown pass that put the Bills ahead for good.
Lassiter said he was anticipating a different route from Palmer and thought Allen would float the pass higher because of the coverage they were playing.
Allen did the opposite.
"It's very, very painful," Lassiter said, his voice trailing. "I've got to check myself and go back to the drawing board."
One by one, Lassiter's teammates came to his defense, pointing to the plays he has made to help the Texans throughout his career and the plays they didn't make themselves Sunday.
"They made the plays and we didn't," linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair said of the Bills. "You've got to tip your hat to them."
Houston Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (90) sacks Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) during the first half of an NFL football game at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle)Lassiter's missed opportunity was far from the only play that cost Houston the game.
There was safety Reed Blankenship's missed interception, which resembled Case Keenum's Minneapolis Miracle and led to wide receiver D.J. Moore's 43-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter.
There was the time the Texans lost track of Allen, allowing him to scramble for a 21-yard touchdown.
And there was the time Allen connected with tight end Dalton Kincaid on a 40-yard pass on third-and-4, later setting up a go-ahead field goal early in the fourth quarter. Kincaid, whom the Texans could not stop, finished with a career-high 130 receiving yards.
"If we come down, we catch those balls, the game looks a ton different than it does right now," Ryans said. "Those guys are great players, and they made plays. We didn't make plays."
BILLS 36, TEXANS 31
Buffalo32139-36Houston714010-31First Quarter
Buf_FG Bass 46, 7:28. Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 2:04. Key Play: J.Allen 11 pass to Coleman on 3rd-and-12. Buffalo 3, Houston 0.
Hou_Montgomery 1 run (Fairbairn kick), :32. Drive: 13 plays, 76 yards, 6:56. Key Plays: Noel kick return to Houston 24; Stroud 16 pass to Klein; Stroud 25 pass to Collins on 3rd-and-8. Houston 7, Buffalo 3.
Second Quarter
Buf_J.Allen 21 run (Bass kick), 12:46. Drive: 7 plays, 62 yards, 2:46. Key Plays: Dortch kick return to Buffalo 38; J.Allen 19 pass to Shakir; J.Allen 16 pass to Shakir. Buffalo 10, Houston 7.
Hou_Montgomery 18 run (Fairbairn kick), 4:48. Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 7:58. Key Plays: Marks kick return to Houston 25; Stroud 15 run on 3rd-and-12; Montgomery 2 run on 3rd-and-1; Marks 12 run. Houston 14, Buffalo 10.
Buf_J.Allen 1 run (Bass kick), 3:58. Drive: 4 plays, 65 yards, 00:49. Key Play: J.Allen 18 pass to Moore. Buffalo 17, Houston 14.
Buf_Moore 43 pass from J.Allen (Bass kick), 1:29. Drive: 3 plays, 96 yards, 00:41. Key Plays: J.Allen 38 pass to Kincaid; J.Allen 15 pass to Moore. Buffalo 24, Houston 14.
Hou_Collins 12 pass from Stroud (Fairbairn kick), :26. Drive: 5 plays, 86 yards, 1:03. Key Play: Stroud 35 pass to Noel. Buffalo 24, Houston 21.
Third Quarter
Buf_FG Bass 34, 4:24. Drive: 6 plays, 27 yards, 3:34. Key Plays: J.Allen 11 pass to Kincaid; J.Allen 2 pass to Shakir on 3rd-and-12. Buffalo 27, Houston 21.
Fourth Quarter
Hou_Montgomery 7 pass from Stroud (Fairbairn kick), 13:34. Drive: 14 plays, 72 yards, 5:50. Key Plays: Marks kick return to Houston 28; Montgomery 2 run on 4th-and-1; Stroud 21 pass to Boutte; Marks 3 run on 4th-and-1; Stroud 12 pass to Wayne. Houston 28, Buffalo 27.
Buf_FG Bass 33, 10:31. Drive: 8 plays, 52 yards, 3:03. Key Plays: Davis kick return to Buffalo 34; J.Allen 40 pass to Kincaid on 3rd-and-4. Buffalo 30, Houston 28.
Hou_FG Fairbairn 58, 6:44. Drive: 8 plays, 26 yards, 3:47. Key Plays: T.Smith kick return to Houston 35; Marks 10 run; Stroud 20 pass to Hutchinson on 3rd-and-10; Stroud 2 pass to Collins on 3rd-and-6. Houston 31, Buffalo 30.
Buf_Palmer 34 pass from J.Allen (pass failed), 1:36. Drive: 7 plays, 93 yards, 1:36. Key Plays: Cook 12 run; J.Allen 35 pass to Kincaid. Buffalo 36, Houston 31.
A_71,008.
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BufHouFIRST DOWNS2026Rushing510Passing1311Penalty25THIRD DOWN EFF3-97-16FOURTH DOWN EFF0-12-2TOTAL NET YARDS409377Total Plays5273Avg Gain7.95.2NET YARDS RUSHING86124Rushes2132Avg per rush4.0953.875NET YARDS PASSING323253Sacked-Yds lost2-113-21Gross-Yds passing334274Completed-Att.20-2926-38Had Intercepted00Yards-Pass Play10.4196.171KICKOFFS-EndZone-TB8-1-06-1-1PUNTS-Avg.2-54.54-52.0Punts blocked00FGs-PATs blocked0-00-0TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE143202Punt Returns2-100-0Kickoff Returns5-1338-202Interceptions0-00-0PENALTIES-Yds10-857-106FUMBLES-Lost2-02-2TIME OF POSSESSION23:4236:18___
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING_Buffalo, Cook 13-57, J.Allen 6-23, Davis 1-3, Gore 1-3. Houston, Montgomery 20-60, Marks 9-42, Stroud 2-15, Collins 1-7.
PASSING_Buffalo, J.Allen 20-29-0-334. Houston, Stroud 26-38-0-274.
RECEIVING_Buffalo, Kincaid 5-130, Moore 5-100, Shakir 4-50, Cook 3-12, Palmer 1-34, Knox 1-7, Coleman 1-1. Houston, Collins 7-75, Schultz 4-35, Hutchinson 3-32, Montgomery 3-19, Noel 2-53, Moreau 2-15, Boutte 1-21, Klein 1-16, Wayne 1-12, Marks 1-(minus 2), Stover 1-(minus 2).
PUNT RETURNS_Buffalo, Dortch 2-10. Houston, None.
KICKOFF RETURNS_Buffalo, Dortch 3-82, Davis 2-51. Houston, Marks 3-78, Noel 3-70, T.Smith 2-54.
TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS_Buffalo, Bernard 6-6-0, Gardner-Johnson 6-2-0, Rousseau 4-0-2, Williams 3-6-0, D.Walker 3-3-1, Benford 3-2-0, Bishop 2-5-0, Oliver 2-3-0, Hairston 2-1-0, Carter 1-1-0, Gaines 1-1-0, Hoecht 1-1-0, Igbinosun 1-0-0, Jackson 1-0-0, Chubb 0-4-0, Alford 0-2-0, Elarms-Orr 0-2-0, Hamlin 0-2-0, Parker 0-1-0, Solomon 0-1-0. Houston, Al-Shaair 5-3-0, Bullock 5-1-0, Blankenship 4-2-0, Pitre 4-2-0, Stingley 4-0-0, Anderson 1-2-.5, Lassiter 1-2-0, To'oTo'o 1-1-0, Togiai 1-1-0, Clowney 1-0-1, Rankins 0-3-0, Edwards 0-1-.5.
INTERCEPTIONS_Buffalo, None. Houston, None.
MISSED FIELD GOALS_None.
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OFFICIALS_Referee Alex Moore, Ump Terry Killens, HL Dana McKenzie, LJ Tom Eaton, FJ Mearl Robinson, SJ Anthony Jeffries, BJ Terrence Miles, Replay Jamie Nicholson.
In total, the Bills connected on eight explosive plays - five in the air and three on the ground - erasing what would have been a good day for the Texans' offense, which gained 381 yards and scored five touchdowns. C.J. Stroud finished 26-of-38 for 274 yards and two touchdowns but also had a critical fumble on Houston's final drive.
"(There's) no need to hit the panic button," said running back David Montgomery, who had three touchdowns. "There's no worry in the world anywhere in this organization, on this team. I'm not worried about the defense.
"Sometimes games go like that, and there will be games where we need them more than they need us, and vice versa."
This is only one game. There are 16 more to go. And Super Bowl teams have returned from 0-1 starts before. Just last year, the Patriots dropped their season opener to the lowly Raiders.
But for the Texans to be the elite team they aspire to be - and that others expect them to be - their defense needs to be better than that.
If anything, Sunday's game showed us that last year will have no bearing on what happens this year.
While Houston might have made improvements on both sides of the ball, other teams have as well.
This loss and the 36 points Buffalo scored against what is supposed to be "a historic defense" were evidence of that.
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