The Buffalo Bills lost to the Houston Texans, 23-20, on Sunday afternoon during Week 5 action. Buffalo fell after Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn made a 59-yard field goal as time expired.
The Bills looked dead in the water during the first half. Buffalo was down 17-3 at halftime after struggling on both sides of the ball. Buffalo’s defense allowed over 220 yards in the half, while the offense struggled to sustain any sort of meaningful progress.
The Texans opened their scoring with an efficient six-play drive, culminating with a Cam Akers 15-yard touchdown rush.
On their next drive, Houston was even more efficient, finding the end zone on the only play of the drive. Nico Collins scored a 67-yard touchdown on what might have been the easiest deep ball he’s ever had to reel in.
It looked like the miserable afternoon would inundate the Bills over the course of four quarters.
The Bills defense gradually put a hold on the Houston offense. In the fourth quarter, the Buffalo defense forced two turnovers to give the Bills some life.
Even with their struggles, the Bills offense used the good field position to tie the game.
However, Buffalo threw away a chance at overtime with a final drive that left a great deal to be desired. The Bills went three-and-out, forcing them to punt from deep in their territory.
The Texans gained just enough yards to get into Fairbairn’s range. He knocked through a deep field feel goal to send Buffalo home with their second consecutive loss.
With that, here is Bills Wire’s report card following Week 5:
Quarterback: C-
(Imagn)
This was a day to forget for Allen. He completed only nine of 30 passes for 131 yards. He was under duress quite a bit in the passing game. There has to be a way for Allen to lean on someone else on the offense without feeling like being Superman all the time. Whether it’s checkdowns or better pre-snap reads, something has to give. Allen did well with his legs, rushing for 54 yards on four scrambles.
Running backs: B+
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James Cook was the most effective player for the Bills on offense. He rushed 20 times for 82 yards and a touchdown. Ty Johnson averaged five yards on three carries. If only there was a time in the game where offensive coordinator Joe Brady could have leaned on his backs in this game…
Wide receivers: D-
(Getty)
It was a putrid day for the receiving corps. They struggled to find separation all game. Khalil Shakir’s absence was massive. Outside of Keon Coleman’s 49-yard touchdown, there wasn’t much to like from the group. They managed only six receptions on 24 targets.
Offensive line: C-
Alex Slitz/Getty Images
There were some moments to like with the line, particularly with the run game. However, the moments were not consistent. The struggles in pass protection were massive, as this along with the timing struggles of the wideouts led to a miserable outcome.
Defensive line: C-
(Imagn)
The line struggled without Ed Oliver (and Von Miller because of suspension). As an overarching theme of Sunday’s game, the unit was inconsistent. Dawuane Smoot made the big play in the fourth quarter to force a fumble. Greg Rousseau recorded three quarterback hits. Rookie DeWayne Carter had two tackles for loss. Even so, the lack of a pass rush was overwhelming in the first half.
Linebackers: B+
(Imagn)
It was great to have Terrel Bernard back. He made a massive interception in coverage, impressively sliding off his receiver and undercutting Stefon Diggs. Dorian Williams led the way with 12 total tackles. Still, Dare Ogunbowale found quite a bit of success out of the backfield.
Secondary: C-
(Imagn)
They gave up quite a few yards in this one. Three hundred thirty-eight passing yards, to be exact. The touchdown allowed to Nico Collins was miserable to watch. He blew by secondary untouched. Things were a little better in the second half, but that’s a hard look into saying something good here. The Texans were successful on five third-down attempts through the air. Stoud moved the ball fairly easily, completing nine passes beyond 14 yards.
Special teams: C
Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
Sam Martin punted the ball far, and Houston enjoyed running it back for long distances. Outkicking the coverage was a problem for the Bills unit during this game. Robert Woods had a punt return of 36 yards to go along with a kick return of 31 yards. At least Tyler Bass was perfect during the game, successfully hitting both of his PATs and two field goals.
Coaching: D
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AAAAAAHHHHH! The defense did a better job during the second half, limiting the Texans to six points. The bend-but-don’t-break model worked, even with the amount of yards the Bills conceded. However, the offensive game plan was abhorrent. The time management at the end was something to behold, as the pass plays at the end of the fourth quarter yielded absolutely nothing.
Report card: Bills fail in their comeback attempt in loss vs. Texans
Report card: Bills fail in their comeback attempt in loss vs. Texans in Week 5
