The Buffalo Bills lost to the Houston Texans 23-19 at NRG Stadium on Thursday Night Football. The defeat brings the Bills’ record to 7-4, while the Texans improve to 6-5. The Bills will next face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Nov. 30.
Buffalo took an early lead in the first quarter with a 45-yard rushing touchdown by James Cook III. This run marked Cook’s third touchdown of more than 40 yards this season and pushed him past 1,000 rushing yards for the year, making him the fastest Bills player to reach that milestone since 1991.
Houston responded with a field goal from Ka’imi Fairbairn and later took the lead after quarterback Davis Mills connected with Christian Kirk for a two-yard touchdown pass. The Texans extended their advantage with another field goal before Buffalo regained momentum through a notable play by Ray Davis. After catching Fairbairn’s kick at his own two-yard line, Davis ran it back for a 98-yard touchdown return, giving Buffalo a brief lead.
Despite strong defensive efforts from players like Cole Bishop—who made key tackles to prevent further Houston touchdowns—the Texans managed to score again just before halftime. Mills found Jayden Higgins for an eight-yard touchdown pass, putting Houston ahead 20-16 at halftime.
In the second half, Houston’s defense intensified pressure on Josh Allen, sacking him eight times throughout the game. Defensive ends Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter were among those who brought Allen down during critical drives.
A pivotal moment came when Allen attempted a pass to Elijah Moore; Azeez Al-Shaair deflected it and Calen Bullock intercepted, returning it for what would have been a touchdown if not for an illegal blindside block penalty against Houston. The Texans settled for another field goal instead.
Buffalo’s defense kept them within reach despite injuries to linebacker Terrel Bernard (elbow) and cornerback Maxwell Hairston (concussion). However, offensive turnovers—including Khalil Shakir’s fumble—limited their comeback chances.
The Bills narrowed the deficit late in the fourth quarter with Matt Prater’s field goal but failed to convert on their final possession when Allen was intercepted by Bullock on fourth-and-six deep in Houston territory.
Key statistics from the game include:
– The Bills scored their first kick return touchdown on the road since 2010.
– James Cook III is now one of only two NFL players this season with at least eight games of over 100 scrimmage yards.
– Cook also tied Jonathan Taylor for most rushing touchdowns of over 40 yards in the NFL this year.
James Cook III continues to climb franchise records as he needs one more rushing touchdown to tie for sixth place on Buffalo’s all-time list. Meanwhile, Josh Allen is close to surpassing Cam Newton for most career regular-season rushing touchdowns by an NFL quarterback and could become the first quarterback in league history with three consecutive seasons of both at least 20 passing touchdowns and ten rushing touchdowns.
