Bills loss to Texans highlights major issues that might be impossible to solve plus other takeaways from Week 12 game
Not a great day at the office for the Buffalo Bills.
The Buffalo Bills just couldn’t get things going against the Houston Texans in Week 12. It was an abysmal game from both the offense and defense, despite a hot start and a long touchdown run early in the contest from running back James Cook.
Buffalo had plenty of opportunities on offense to get back into the game, but quarterback Josh Allen struggled to get protection up front and was on the ground all day from a heavy pass rush by the Texans. Allen and the offense had the ball with a little over two minutes to go in the fourth quarter to try and lead a game-winning drive, but fell flat, handing the victory to the Texans.
One of the biggest issues with the team is the lack of consistency on offense, paired with the run defense struggling to stop a nosebleed. While the Texans didn’t run roughshod on the Bills, the defense allowed backup quarterback Davis Mills to have a day.
It may be impossible for the team to solve the issue with injuries and lack of consistency in the run defense, and the team only has so many options for weapons to surround Allen with. Allen shouldn’t be blamed for the loss, despite two interceptions, as he did all that he could in the loss.
Here are our biggest takeaways from the Week 12 loss to the Texans.
Josh Allen’s struggles in Houston continue
The loss doesn’t rest solely on the shoulders of Allen, but he by no means had a great game against the No. 1 defense in the league. There was a scare early on when Allen was tackled from behind and writhing in pain. It’s no secret that if Allen were to go down for a substantial amount of time, the team would be in a world of hurt.
Allen discussed how difficult it was to take on Houston in 2024, in which he had one of his worst games as a professional. Houston brought the pressure early and often, with the tandem of Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. bringing down Allen throughout the matchup.
The reigning MVP did all that he could, but wasn’t getting much help from his supporting cast. It’s something that’s happened throughout the season. When Buffalo wins and the offense is humming, the ‘everybody eats’ offense looks alive and well. However, when they hit a wall like they have many times this season, it makes it clear that the offense might be missing some firepower.
Allen finished his day going 24 for 34 with 253 yards and two interceptions, being sacked eight times.
Injuries, injuries, and more injuries
The Buffalo Bills battled through injury even before kickoff, and it continued in the loss against the Texans. Multiple key playmakers went down throughout the contest, including Allen, cornerback Maxwell Hairston, cornerback Christian Benford, defensive end A.J. Epenesa, offensive tackle Dion Dawkins, linebacker Terrel Bernard, and wide receiver Khalil Shakir. Bernard was in considerable pain and was quickly ruled out of the contest.
It’s hard to win a game when you’re that depleted on both sides of the football. Too many players playing banged up was apparent, as both the offense and defense struggled to get things going.
Despite the injuries, a few names did stand out on defense, including safeties Cole Bishop and Jordan Poyer, defensive tackle Deone Walker, and cornerback Maxwell Hairston.
Buffalo faces an uphill battle the rest of the way
There isn’t a lot the team can do in terms of injuries or fixing some of the major issues that were present in the loss against the Texans. The team will be getting some players back from injury, but it’s hard not to look at this game and think the team has what it takes to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
In the loss, Buffalo nearly destroyed their chances to win the division or the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. There’s still a chance, but the team would need to win out the remainder of the games and get some luck with the New England Patriots losing a few.
The sky isn’t falling, but it’s not a good day to be a fan of the Buffalo Bills.
An ugly loss against a dominant defense that left fans with more questions than answers heading into the most pivotal stretch of the season. They did not play good, sound, complementary football, and wound up in the loss column because of it.
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