The Bills visit the postseason for the second time in three years. That route takes them to NRG Stadium in Houston where the Texans wait.
To learn more about Saturday’s opponent, Bills Wire spoke to Mark Lane, Texans Wire’s managing editor, to learn more about the Texans before kickoff:
Q: Prior to his injury this year, how did JJ Watt look?
ML: He looked as though he was taking on the brunt of a team’s protections so OLB Whitney Mercilus could produce. Watt had 4.0 sacks through the first eight games while Mercilus led the team with 5.5. Some of it was also Jadeveon Clowney being in Seattle and no longer a part of the team. Watt was leading the NFL with 21 quarterback hits by the time of his injury. It’s hard to say what Watt’s year would have ended up as. I think he would have for sure made a Pro Bowl, but maybe not necessarily an All-Pro as there were some other young defensive ends who were producing greater numbers.
Q: We’ve heard all week that the Texans offense looks different, perhaps better, with Will Fuller. How so?
ML: Fuller stretches out defenses and puts them in a “pick your poison” scenario. Do you go man-to-man with Fuller and double-team DeAndre Hopkins, or do you let Hopkins nickel and dime you knowing you have Fuller locked down over the top? Fuller was on the field in five of Deshaun Watson’s seven games with a 100.0-plus passer rating, and they were 4-1. Their only loss was to the Saints in Week 1, a 30-28 Drew Brees comeback spectacular that would have been in the bag had they not been facing a Hall of Famer on the other side. If Fuller is able to go, there’s the possibility the Texans could make the game about big plays. If not, then it’s a small-ball type of battle that comes down to who makes the fewest mistakes.
If you’re the Bills, do you try to win this one on Josh Allen’s arm or Devin Singletary’s legs?
ML: I’d go with Josh Allen’s arm. His yards per attempt is tied for seventh-lowest in the NFL at 6.7. He has the lowest completion percentage of the playoff quarterbacks at 58.8%. I’d let him dink and dunk his way inside the red zone where the Bills are middle of the pack in red zone conversions at 56.8%. If Buffalo is settling for field goals, I still have a chance with Deshaun Watson on the other side. Not throwing shade on the 2018 first-round pick from Wyoming; just saying that this is how I would approach the game. I feel like Devin Singletary would match my offense with chunk plays and melt clock in the process.
I’d ask about DeAndre Hopkins, but everyone knows he’s great. What about the revelation that Carlos Hyde has become this year? How good is that rushing attack? That’s where the Bills defense struggles.
ML: The rushing attack is hit or miss. The good thing for a guy like Carlos Hyde is coach Bill O’Brien won’t give up on the run game no matter what. I swear his entire six seasons in Houston have been about setting up the world for play-action the way he is so committed to running it on first down. Hyde has finally been in a winning environment where he could shine. He had that for one season, his rookie year in San Francisco, even though the club went 8-8 and failed to make the playoffs. It’s been a dumpster fire every other season from 2014 to now. Also being 29 years old he’s at the point where his body hasn’t betrayed him and his mind has seen enough that he can draw on those experiences. Hyde said when he came to Houston that the offense was simple; it wasn’t as complex as Kansas City’s.
What’s your prediction for this one?
ML: In the Sports Weekly capsule I wrote, I picked the Bills 19-13 because I see it being a slugfest and the Texans not cashing in on their red zone trips. Tre’Davious White is one of the best corners in the NFL, at least for this season. I’m not confident Fuller with his groin, which they said a week ago he’d be out three weeks, that he will be effective. I’ll stick with my pessimistic prediction.
Mark Lane is managing editor of USA Today SMG’s Texans Wire. For more on the Texans leading up to Saturday’s 4:35 p.m. kickoff, follow Lane on Twitter at @therealmarklane.
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