The Houston Texans won their battle against the Buffalo Bills at NRG Stadium on Thursday Night Football. Starting the season with many inconsistencies, and considering that your starting quarterback is injured, many fans have been doubting whether this team can make it into the playoffs.
However, in the last two games, the Texans have proved their worth by overcoming a 19-point 4th quarter deficit against the Jacksonville Jaguars, earning a hard fought victory against the always tough Tennessee Titans, and then coming away with a 23-19 win versus the Bills on Thursday night.
That’s why, today, we have the Winners vs. Losers from the clash against the Bills. In this case, the word loser feels a little exaggerated. I would prefer to call it: players who I expected more from, as I think every player did their job in this victory.
Winners
Danielle Hunter: The former Minnesota Viking had an outstanding game, proving himself as one of the league's elite edge rushers and doing his part in helping people understand why the Texans' defense is one of the best this season. Hunter was a threat to Josh Allen the entire game. The Pro Bowler recorded two sacks and three QB hits, along with 6 combined tackles (two tackles for loss).
Nevertheless, even though the stats are impressive, the truth is that those two sacks came at perfect moments. One occurred with the Bills backed up against their own goal line, while the other came on a pivotal third down. Both were critical moments when the Texans desperately needed to regain possession of the ball.
Davis Mills: The Texans QB had a good game on Thursday Night Football. First of all, he broke his curse of not winning in prime time, going 0-2 before his Week 12 win over the Bills His stats aren’t from another world; even Josh Allen was superior on Thursday night, but I'd like to remark on his good decision-making.
Mills was shaky at first, costing the Texans in the red zone and during crucial moments, but after his first touchdown of the game, Mills got in a good grove, and the Texans' offense started to flow. With 153 yards and two touchdowns, the former 3rd round pick for the Texans in the 2021 NFL Draft played a solid game against a Super Bowl contender.
Calen Bullock: Another player who had a rough start, but as the game went on, Bullock settled in and adapted to the Bills’ game plan, finishing the contest as one of the Texans’ best players. The 2024 3rd round pick recorded one forced fumble, two passes defended, and two interceptions.
Why is Bullock a winner? His last interception sealed the game in favor of the Texans. With less than ten seconds remaining on the clock, the 2nd-year defensive back put a stop to Buffalo's final offensive drive, ending the game in that moment.
Losers
Nick Chubb: The former Cleveland Browns running back had a quiet game on Thursday night. Even though it appeared that this was a game that Chubb could've made his presence felt, he managed just six carries for 16 yards, with his longest run going for only seven yards.
It’s true that this season, the true powerhouse of the Texans has been the defense, but with a WR room that has underperformed, the ground attack should be carrying the offense, but Chubb could not get it done. We are far from seeing that explosive player we watched with the Browns.
The WR room: I understand the fact that Houston is playing starting quarterback CJ Stroud, but it seems like the wide receivers have just vanished from the offense. On Thursday night, Christian Kirk made some good plays and Dalton Schultz had some checkdowns to gain the first down, but nothing there was nothing too splash from Houston's pass-catchers.
Christian Kirk and Jayden Higgins each had a touchdown, both coming on crucial third-and-goal situations. However, the Texans need these receivers to step up during sustained drives (especially when the offense is bogged down in the middle of the field), not just emerge in the red zone.