Bills vs. Texans: Josh Allen Finally Conquers Reliant Stadium in a Wild 36-31 Week 1 Thriller

Josh Allen knew the question was coming, so he skipped the formalities and answered it before anybody asked. "We do like Reliant Stadium," he said, grinning. "Woo."

Four straight losses in a building will make a man celebrate like that. Allen threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Palmer with 1:36 left, Greg Rousseau strip-sacked C.J. Stroud in the closing seconds, and the Buffalo Bills outlasted the Houston Texans 36-31 on Sunday in an opener that refused to sit still. It was Buffalo's first win in Houston since Nov. 19, 2006, and the first win of Joe Brady's head coaching career.

Eight Lead Changes, Zero Chill

This game had the pacing of a Marvel third act, and nobody got a breather. Per the Bills, the lead changed hands eight times.

Rousseau set the tone early, sacking Stroud on Houston's first drive and knocking the ball loose for Ed Oliver to recover at the Houston 32. Buffalo settled for a Tyler Bass 46-yarder. Houston answered with a 12-play, 76-yard drive capped by David Montgomery's 1-yard plunge, and the two teams spent the rest of the half trading haymakers. Allen scrambled 21 yards for a touchdown. Montgomery went 18 yards untouched. Kamari Lassiter was flagged for pass interference on DJ Moore in the end zone, setting up an Allen dive from the 1 for a 17-14 lead.

Then the Bills hit fast-forward. Starting at their own 4 with 2:10 left in the half, they needed three plays and 41 seconds to cover 96 yards, finished by Moore grabbing a ball in front of a diving Reed Blankenship and racing 43 yards to the end zone. Houston replied just as quickly with an 86-yard drive, and Nico Collins' 12-yard touchdown made it 24-21 at the break.

The second half became a kicking contest with plot twists. Bass hit from 34. Montgomery caught a 7-yard touchdown to put Houston up 28-27 early in the fourth. Bass hit from 33 to grab the lead back. Ka'imi Fairbairn then drilled a 58-yarder with 6:44 left, and Houston led 31-30.

Josh Allen, Main Character Energy

Allen's line: 20 of 29 for 334 yards and two touchdowns through the air, plus two more on the ground. He averaged 11.5 yards per attempt, and the Bills said his five completions of 30-plus yards were the most in any regular-season game of his career. The winning march was also his 26th career regular-season game-winning drive, the most of any active quarterback, according to the team.

He had help. Dalton Kincaid caught five passes for 130 yards, which the Bills said was the most by one of their tight ends in a game since 1967. Moore, making his Buffalo debut after a trade from Chicago, added five catches for 100 yards and that touchdown. The AP noted it was only the second game in franchise history with a 100-yard tight end and a 100-yard receiver, following Andre Reed and Pete Metzelaars in Week 2 of 1992.

"He opens it up for everybody," Brady said of Moore. "We're so much better with him."

Houston's stars showed up too. Montgomery scored three times in his Texans debut after coming over from Detroit, Collins caught seven passes for 75 yards, and Stroud threw for 274 yards and two scores. The problem for Stroud was the two fumbles he lost, both on Rousseau sacks.

A Dropped Pick, Then a Dagger

Down 31-30, Buffalo took over at its own 4 with 3:13 left. Seven plays and 96 yards later the Bills were in the end zone, but the play before the touchdown nearly ended everything. Allen lofted a deep ball toward Palmer in the end zone, and Lassiter got his hands on it. He couldn't hang on.

Allen went right back to the well. He split two defenders to find Palmer for 34 yards and the lead, and the 2-point try failed, leaving it at 36-31.

"We got lucky," Palmer said. "He dropped it. Next play I caught it."

Allen took the philosophical route. "Hey, it's football. What can I say? Sometimes the ball bounces your way," he said.

Houston still had 1:36 and a real shot. The Texans drove 47 yards in 10 plays before Rousseau got home again, stripping Stroud at the Buffalo 28. Terrel Bernard fell on it, and that was that.

"It was just stab and lift and just went fast," Rousseau said.

Box Score Receipts

• 7.9 to 5.2: yards per play, Buffalo over Houston. Explosive beat methodical.
• 23:43: Buffalo's time of possession. The Bills won while holding the ball more than 12 minutes less than Houston.
• Two 96-yard TD drives: per the Bills, a first in team history since drive tracking began in 1993, and only the fifth time any NFL team has done it.
• 0 to 2: the turnover battle. Houston went 4 for 5 in the red zone and still lost because of those two fumbles.

Fresh Starts and Sore Spots

Brady was promoted from offensive coordinator after Sean McDermott was fired following nine seasons, and his first game was a messy, fun, deeply on-brand Bills win. It was also the first game under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, per the team, and that unit bent all afternoon before making the play that mattered most.

"You saw a lot of the conviction, everything we sort of talk about," Brady said. "We didn't care how pretty."

For Houston, this one stings. The AP noted the Texans defense led the NFL in yards allowed and ranked second in points allowed last season, and it just gave up its most points since a 36-22 loss to Cleveland on Dec. 24, 2023.

"We had multiple opportunities to make plays, had chances to make plays on the football and we didn't make plays," coach DeMeco Ryans said.

Will Anderson was even blunter. "It just wasn't our standard," he said. "That's not who we are."

Houston also lost linebacker Jake Hummel to an abdominal injury in the second half. The Texans host Cincinnati next Sunday. The Bills host Detroit on Thursday night in the first game at their new stadium, which is about as good a housewarming party as a franchise can throw itself.

Style Points Are Overrated

Buffalo ran 21 fewer plays, held the ball for more than 12 fewer minutes and went 1 for 3 in the red zone. Doesn't matter. Big plays travel, Allen finally got his Reliant Stadium win, and the new head coach already has his catchphrase.

"There's no such thing as an ugly win," Brady said.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Postgame quotes as reported by the Associated Press and BuffaloBills.com.