HOUSTON – A late interception sealed the Buffalo Bills’ fate Thursday night as they fell to the Houston Texans in a hard-fought contest marked by relentless pressure on Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who was sacked a career-high eight times. The Texans secured the win despite a strong performance from Bills running back James Cook, who rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown.
The Bills’ offensive struggles were compounded by Allen being hit a total of 12 times throughout the game, hindering their ability to establish a consistent rhythm. Despite throwing for 253 yards, Allen was intercepted twice and failed to throw a touchdown pass, a stark contrast to his six-touchdown performance against Tampa Bay the previous week. “We had a chance to win it there at the end,” Allen said.”We did a good job of staying in it and our defense bailed us out a couple of times. We’ve got to find a way, and we didn’t.”
Bills coach Sean McDermott expressed concern over the constant pressure Allen faced. “When they hit our quarterback 12 times, I don’t like that,” McDermott stated. “I don’t like that stat at all. It’s just not a healthy way to play and it’s not a good way to keep our quarterback healthy for the rest of the season. We’ve got to play better.”
Allen acknowledged the difficulty of enduring such consistent hits,noting his left shoulder “went a little numb” after landing awkwardly on it during a first-half sack.”It’s not fun,” Allen said. “I ran into a couple myself. I’ve got to be better at throwing the ball away. Too many times, I was going backwards.” The sacks resulted in a loss of 70 yards for the Bills, with Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr.leading the charge with two and a half sacks, including an 18-yard loss on a chase-down sack in the third quarter.
The Bills were also without receiver Keon Coleman for the second consecutive game, as he remained a healthy scratch due to repeated tardiness to team meetings. “Nothing new. We’re just taking it one day at a time,” McDermott said.”I thought he had a better week, but we’re taking it one day at a time. It wasn’t that it wasn’t thought about, but we went with the guys that give us the best chance.”
Despite the loss,Bills receiver khalil Shakir had a standout performance,leading the team with eight receptions for 110 yards. Allen ultimately expressed disappointment in the team’s inability to execute in crucial moments. “Ultimately, we’ve got to execute, and we didn’t do a good job of that tonight,” he said. “whatever situation and whatever circumstance, we’ve got to find a way, and we didn’t.”
