Bills Mafia, we will have been without Buffalo Bills football for 239 days, and it’s that time of the year again when we can sit back and watch our guys play. Unfortunately, we probably have our toughest matchup on the Schedule in Week 1, and I don’t mean toughest as in the Texans are the best overall team we are playing this year; no, the Houston Texans are the toughest matchup specifically for the Bills and Josh Allen.
Wouldn’t be Bills football without some division trash talk before we play the Patriots in week 4!
Stats to Know
Josh Allen and the Bills have historically struggled against the Houston Texans, who have only improved over the offseason, and their defense will wreak havoc on the Bills’ offense.
While we expect the Bills to be competitive and even beat the Chiefs, Patriots, and even the Super Bowl favorite Los Angeles Rams, the Texans have locked the Bills down over the last 5 matchups. Josh Allen is 1-4 against the Texans, 0-4 in Houston, and the Bills are once again traveling to Houston for tomorrow’s game.
New Head Coach Joe Brady will be put to the ultimate test immediately as his offense will need near-perfect play-calling along with execution to beat the disciplined Texan defense.
Who’s Hot & Who’s Cold
Obviously, we are heading into week 1, so is anyone really hot or cold? I’ll be looking at how some of these players finished the final 4 games of last season (including the playoffs) for each team and diagnosing which players could have a major impact, or none at all.
- Greg Rousseau was out in week 18, so his last 4 games span from weeks 16 to the Divisional Round, where he had an astounding 4 sacks over this stretch. Rousseau heads into year 6 and is still without a double-digit sack season on his resume; could the ending of last season be a sign of more things to come?
- James Cook led the league last season, and in his last 4 games (week 17- Divisional Round) he actually disappeared. Cook only had one game over 100 total yards in this span and 0 Touchdowns; that’s right, his last TD was in week 16 vs. the Cleveland Browns. He will need to start this year as strong as last year to get his momentum back.
- Will Anderson, like Greg Rousseau, also finished with 4 sacks in his last 4 games, but the difference is that Anderson is expected to be one of the NFL’s best pass rushers. Houston is looking for even more as Anderson heads into year 4, ready to make an immediate impact against Buffalo.
- Dalton Schultz isn’t the number 1 option in the Texans’ system, but in most games he has had around 5 receptions for 40-50 or so yards; in his final 4 games, Schultz has averaged just a mere 3 receptions a game, and in 2 of those games he had less than 20 receiving yards. With Higgins out for the year and Dell starting the season on IR, Schultz needs to step up as the veteran and give Houston a boost in the passing game.
Game Predictions
I have Buffalo beating most teams on their schedule this year; Houston is not one of them. The defense will be too much for Buffalo, and Buffalo’s inexperience on defense running the new 3-4 system brought in by Defensive Coordinator Jim Leonhard will show. Our defense will have flashes; I’m sure about that, as CJ Stroud isn’t typically great either in week 1 matchups where he’s only thrown 2 TDs and an INT over the course of 3 opening weekends.
Houston defeats Buffalo in a defensive contest, 24-20, to open the season.
Other Content
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