Bills will be tough out for Texans
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Josh Allen smiled one of those “thanks for bringing that up” kind of smiles in the interview room at New Era Field following the Bills’ 13-6 loss to the Jets.
As a matter of fact, that’s exactly what he said when he was reminded that the last time he played in Houston – October 2018 in a 20-13 loss to the Texans – he suffered an elbow injury that forced him to miss a month of his rookie season.
Allen and the Bills hope things go a whole lot better Saturday afternoon when they travel back to NRG Stadium to play the Texans in an AFC wild-card game that will kick off the NFL’s 2019 postseason.
This much we know: It should be a far different Allen from the young player who was starting only his fifth NFL game on that Oct. 14 afternoon, a game the Bills eventually lost when Allen’s replacement, Nathan Peterman, threw a game-losing pick-six.
“I remember playing in that stadium, super loud,” Allen said Sunday. “Going to have to do some silent count, no doubt, and it’s playoff football. It’s win or go home, so we are going to have a really good week this week, prepare, game plan and be ready for whatever they throw at us. We are in the dance, we know that and we understand that and we are going to go out there and try and execute.”
Here are other thoughts as wild-card preparation week gets underway.
Can the Bills’ offense top 20 points?
Clearly this has been a challenge all season for the Bills. They have done it only seven times and their average per game is 19.6. Against a Houston offense
that ranks 11th in scoring at 24.5 points per game, the Bills will need to score.
The good news is, they might be able to do so. Not having edge rusher JJ Watt has been a factor, but the Texans are statistically the worst defense the Bills will have played since the second Miami game Nov. 17. Since then, the Bills have faced top 10 defenses in six consecutive games: Broncos, Cowboys, Ravens, Steelers, Patriots and Jets.
Houston entered Week 17 ranked 28th in yards allowed, 30th in passing yards, 31st in preventing third-down conversions, 20th in rushing and 18th in points. It’s a game where, if the Bills take care of the ball and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll comes up with a diverse game plan, they could certainly score enough to outlast the Texans, who will be facing the stout Buffalo defense.
Bills have been road warriors
Sunday’s loss to the Jets dropped the Bills’ New Era Field record to 4-4. However,
away from Orchard Park the Bills won six of their eight games including excellent wins at Tennessee, Dallas and Pittsburgh. It’s the first time since 2008 they’ve had a better road than home record and just the second time in this century.
“Yeah, we’ve gone on the road, we’ve played close games,” said Bills coach Sean McDermott. “We’ve got to have a good week of preparation, our players need to get the rest and then we’ll take it one day at a time.”
Playing indoors in Houston should benefit the Buffalo offense. With perfect conditions, Daboll should be able to utilize whatever portion of his playbook he deems necessary.
You say that also benefits the Texans, but here’s the thing: The Bills’ defense is better, regardless of the conditions. It’s the offense that needs a more pristine environment to execute.
“I’m not really sure how that factors with us,” said Allen. “Other teams may feel that way, but I feel like we still do what we want to in any kind of weather.
Dabes has full trust in his offensive calls and us going out there, producing and trying to make some plays.”
I’m sure he does, but Allen hasn’t exactly succeeded in cold, windy weather. In his three games in December (not counting Sunday’s cameo), he completed 43.6%, 52.0% and 50.0% of his passes and totaled a mere 493 yards. Flash back to Dallas, indoors at Jerry World, when he went 19 of 24 (79.1%) for 231 yards.
Is Deshaun Watson actually underrated?
The Houston quarterback sometimes gets overlooked in the brilliance of Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs (his 2017 draft partner), the new star in Lamar Jackson, and the old standbys such as Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Russell Wilson. But Watson has put together a pretty stellar three-year resume.
“He can do everything, he can beat you with his arm, his legs,” said Buffalo safety Micah Hyde. “He’s a smart quarterback and I don’t think he gets enough credit for how smart he is, the way he’s able to read coverages, and then when the plays break down, that’s when he makes his most plays. He can get it done in all different ways.”
Watson completed 67.3% of his passes for 3,852 yards with 26 TDs and 12 picks this season, a passer rating of 98.0. Of course, it certainly helps that Watson works with one of the premier wide receivers in the league, DeAndre Hopkins, who had 104 catches for 1,165 yards and seven TDs.
Mix in Will Fuller (if he can play) and Kenny Stills and it’s an outstanding trio of receivers, plus 1,000-yard rusher Carlos Hyde.
“Deshaun is a playmaker, and of course they have the receivers and everything, a running game … they’ve got some playmakers that have generated a lot of plays over the course of their career to this point, and so it’ll be a big test for us,” said McDermott.