Tag: buffalo bills vs. houston texans

Texans WR Stefon Diggs admits what beating Bills meant to him

Stefon Diggs didn’t allow his emotions to bleed through during the week, but the Houston Texans receiver was honest following a win over the Buffalo Bills.

Stefon Diggs was quiet throughout the week leading up to Week 5’s showdown against the Buffalo Bills.

He never put the spotlight on himself, stating that he wouldn’t feel any extra emotions when taking on his old team.

But when Ka’imi Fairbirn’s game-winning 59-yard field goal cleared the uprights as time expired Sunday afternoon at NRG Stadium, Diggs finally let his emotions tell the story.

“Honestly, it meant a lot to me,” Diggs said in front of dozens of reporters from both Houston and Buffalo following the Texans’ 23-20 win. “I held it in all week energy-wise. I tried not to bring it up too much. I had an interview earlier in the week where I just tried to keep it professional, but in the back of my mind it meant a lot to me. I wanted to do more showing than telling.”

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Sunday marked the first matchup between Houston and Buffalo since the two sides worked out a trade to send Diggs to Texas from Western New York. Even though he never requested a trade, both sides figured after last season’s playoff exit that change was needed.

Before hauling in touchdown passes from C.J. Stroud, Diggs became one of the league’s top targets while serving as Josh Allen’s go-to weapon. He was named to the Pro Bowl four times and earned All-Pro status in 2020.

While Diggs didn’t find the end zone, he served as the difference-maker in the passing game for Stroud after Nico Collins left with a hamstring injury in the first quarter, catching six passes for a team-leading 82 yards.

Two catches were for first-down conversions, including one that set up a 47-yard field goal for Fairbairn in the third quarter.

“He made some really big catches on third down to keep drives moving,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Play after play, Diggs stepped up and made plays. So I’m happy for him that we were able to get this win for him.”

Diggs, who is playing for a new contract after the Texans voided the final three years of his previous deal, told his teammates that Buffalo would be a “measuring stick” on where they stand among AFC contenders.

Entering Monday night, the Kansas City Chiefs remain the only undefeated roster in the conference at 4-0. Houston sits at 4-1 and could be viewed as the second-best roster in the AFC.

“If you want to be a good team, beat a good team because that’s a good team,” Diggs said of playing Buffalo. “They’re real disciplined, well-coached, and there are hell of players over there.”

Without Diggs, Josh Allen struggled to find any consistent passing. He finished  9-of-30 for a season-low 131 yards with one touchdown and a passer rating of 56.

No receiver for Buffalo totaled more than 49 yards on the afternoon.

“I understand he’s on their team,” Allen said after his interaction with Diggs. “He’s a great player, made some good plays for them and he was on the winning team.”

Diggs told reporters postgame that despite the victory, the celebration time is short-lived. Houston’s only a game behind the Chiefs and one above Buffalo in the AFC standings.

All three teams are in prime position to return to the postseason once more, so rocky performances that come down to game-winning kicks can’t be the backbone of the roster for the next 13 games.

But for a brief moment, Diggs can exhale with a sigh of gratitude to remain standing on the side of victory. Every win counts, but some signify more than what appears in the standings.

“He just wanted to play well against his former team,” Stroud said. “He did a good job by just letting his emotions affect his play, and he played great. Just happy that he’s happy with this dub.”

The Texans will travel to face the New England Patriots in Week 6. Kickoff is scheduled for noon CT.

Report: Texans have update on WR Nico Collins

Nico Collins is currently “day-to-day” on his return for the Houston Texans after leaving Sunday’s win against the Buffalo Bills.

Nico Collins is the heart of the Houston Texans’ offense through five weeks of the NFL season.

That heart could be beating at full capacity once more this Sunday against the New England Patriots.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Collins is listed as “day-to-day” with a hamstring injury after leaving in the first quarter of Sunday’s win against the Buffalo Bills.

The hope is he’ll be cleared to play for Week 6 or at least Week 7 when Houston travels to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers.

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud connected with Collins for a touchdown to put the Texans up 14-3. The fourth-year pass-catcher limped to the sidelines and entered the blue medical before heading to the locker room for further evaluation.

Entering Sunday’s game, Collins led the league with 489 yards off 30 catches. After the pair of receptions, his number went up to 567 yards.

“He is the best receiver in football,” Stroud said postgame. “When he gets out the game, it definitely is tough on us. A lot of things are predicated towards him and planned for him. I definitely do think we still have a lot of other guys who step up too, so I thought they did a good job doing that.”

Barring an injury, Collins is on pace for 128 catches for 2,078 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s been Stroud’s go-to guy through guy, as his volume of targets only continues to expand with each game.

In last week’s against over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Collins caught 12 passes for 151 yards and one touchdown performance on 15 targets to secure the 24-20 victory.

If Collins can’t go, Houston still has a 1-2 combination in Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs, plus tight end Dalton Schultz. In his first game against his former team, Diggs finished with a team-leading six catches for 82 yards.

Dell, who missed last week’s game against the Jaguars, caught four balls for 38 yards.

“Definitely hope Nico is okay and we can get him back as soon as possible,” Stroud said. “I definitely know that we have a lot of depth in that room.”

Texans receive injury update on WR Nico Collins

Nico Collins’ day could be over for the Houston Texans entering halftime against the Buffalo Bills.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

The Houston Texans might be without star receiver Nico Collins for the rest of Sunday’s contest.

Collins, who leads the NFL in receiving yards, is out for the remainder of Sunday’s game after suffering a hamstring injury in the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills.

Houston currently leads 17-3 after a 67-yard touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud to Collins at the end of the first quarter.

When Collins crossed the pylon, he appeared to pull up at the end of the play. After returning to the sidelines, he immediately went over to the blue medical tent for further evaluation.

This isn’t as shocking as some would think since Collins missed practice last week due to a hamstring issue, though he suited up in Sunday’s 24-20 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars while expanding his career totals in receiving yards and receptions.

Entering Sunday, Collins was on pace for over 2,000 receiving yards and 110 catches. He led the league with 489 yards and was second in catches with 30.

If Collins can’t go, Houston could turn to the combination of Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell. Stroud seems to be in rhythm, going 10-of-10 for 177 yards.

The Texans will receive the ball to begin the second half.

Texans elevate defensive end to active roster

Houston Texans defensive end Dylan Horton will make his 2024 debut after missing the past 10 months due to Stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Dylan Horton is about to make his 2024 debut.

The second-year Houston Texans defensive end was officially activated after returning to practice earlier this week and will play against the Buffalo Bills. 

In a corresponding move, the Texans have placed veteran defensive end Jerry Hughes on the injured reserve. Hughes was ruled out of Sunday’s game on Friday after missing practice with a hip injury.

A fourth-round pick out of TCU, Horton began the season on the non-football illness list. Last December, Horton was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma and missed the remainder of the 2023 season.

In March, Horton announced he was in remission. He celebrated an important medical milestone, completing his final treatment by ringing the bell at M.D. Anderson hospital.

“For Dylan to be back after everything he has gone through, battling cancer, then to see him back on the field almost an entire year of missing football,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Wednesday. “The way he handled it and the mindset at which he handled it, he always still attacked it with a smile, he attacked it with a great attitude every single day.

“That’s just proof to everyone, no matter what we’re going through — there are a lot of people battling cancer, battling things in life — attacking it with the right mindset, a positive attitude, really goes a long way. And Dylan represents that, and we are all very thankful to have him back.”

In 10 games, Horton totaled 13 tackles as a rotational player for the Texans.
Kickoff is scheduled for noon CT at NRG Stadium.

Texans reveal final injury report before Week 5 showdown vs. Bills

Here’s the final injury report for Sunday’s showdown between the Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills

The Houston Texans won’t be at full speed on offense Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, but at least one key target for C.J. Stroud will return to the huddle.

Receiver Tank Dell is expected to play against the 3-1 Bills after clearing Friday’s injury report. The second-year receiver suffered a chest injury in Week 3’s loss against the Minnesota Vikings and didn’t play in Sunday’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and rookie tackle Blake Fisher also were full participants in practice, meaning they’ll suit up in what could be a battle for second place among AFC contenders in 2024.

The addition of Dell should benefit Houston’s passing game. Despite being limited in the first two matchups, Dell caught a season-high five passes for 62 yards against the Vikings.

Everyone, including Buffalo, knows how lethal Dell’s speed is in space after a breakout rookie season. In 12 games, the third-round pick out of Houston totaled 47 catches for 709 yards and seven touchdowns.

Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon is out for the third consecutive game with an ankle injury, according to the injury report. Once again, Mxion did not run drills during Friday’s drills.

Mixon, who broke out Week 1’s win over the Colts, has barely practiced since being rolled upon in Week 2’s victory over the Bears. He returned to practice last week for the team’s walkthrough but was later ruled out early Sunday morning.

Fellow running back Dameon Pierce returned to the practice after dealing with a hamstring injury, but his status is unknown. He’s yet to take reps, meaning even if he was cleared, Houston would probably have him serve as a rotational back at best.

The Texans turn back to a combination of Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale as the lead runners on Sunday. Both scored touchdowns with Mixon sidelined, but each came on passes from C.J. Stroud.

Akers, a former second-round pick, had the best performance in a Texans’ uniform last week after rushing for 53 yards on 13 carries.

Defensive end  Jerry Hughes (hip) and Derek Barnett (shoulder) were also ruled out for Sunday’s contest, meaning the Texans could elevate either Kurt Hinish or Dylan Horton to the active roster. Both were cleared to return to practice earlier this week after being taken off the injured list.

Right tackle Tytus Howard also missed Friday’s walkthrough. He appeared on the injury report with a hamstring issue. Should be miss Sunday’s game, the Texans likely turn to Fisher, a natural right tackle who saw reps last week at left tackle after Tunsil left the game in the second quarter.

Kickoff against the Bills is scheduled for noon CT at NRG Stadium.

PODCAST: After playoff loss, what did we learn from Bills’ 2020 season?

Kyle Silagyi is joined by Justin DiLoro and McKenna Middlebrook to discuss the Buffalo Bills’ postseason loss to the Houston Texans.

There’s no such thing as a typical Buffalo Bills playoff game.

After participating in only three postseason games in the first 20 years of the 21st century, one could even describe the idea of a Buffalo playoff game as ‘atypical.’

Despite this, the team’s Wild-Card round loss to the Houston Texans felt typical.

Even after a 10-6 season in which the team shed archaic national labels, even after holding a 16-point lead over the Texans in the second half of its postseason contest, it’s not necessarily surprising that the Bills lost, their second-half collapse proving to be their downfall.

It almost felt expected.

On this episode of The Kyle Silagyi Variety Hour, host Kyle Silagyi is joined by BillsWire staff writers Justin DiLoro and McKenna Middlebrook to discuss Buffalo’s playoff collapse. They also question whether they’ve learned anything about the Bills throughout the season and briefly preview the 2020 offseason.

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Despite Texans loss, 2019 season still a massive success for Bills

Though Buffalo’s 2019 season ended in heartbreak, it cannot be classified as anything other than a success.

Few phrases in professional football are as dangerous as ‘moral victory.’

It’s the football linguist’s take on ‘you live and you learn,’ a way for a team to maintain confidence and continue to grow after facing adversity, typically in the form of losses.

Though losing can certainly breed character, taking solace in a loss can create a mindset of content. When a team is able to justify one loss, it becomes easier to justify the next.

And the next. And the next.

In a results-based business such as the NFL, placing moral victories in a proverbial trophy case can lead to disaster. Finding some sort of comfort in a loss is almost never a good idea.

Almost.

Though the Buffalo Bills lost their Wild Card round matchup with the Houston Texans in heartbreaking fashion, it’s difficult to not find some ‘moral victory’ in the team’s 2019 season.

Looking past Buffalo’s putrid postseason loss in which it squandered a 16-point second-half lead, it’s clear to see that the 2019 campaign was paramount in the development of the organization as a whole.

It was one of growth. It was one of progress.

It was one of success.

The Bills – a team that has long been looked at as a perennial laughingstock, an inept organization that once failed to make the playoffs for 17 consecutive seasons – shed that nagging national perception with a 10-win season.

Quarterback Josh Allen showed discernible development in his sophomore campaign, showing sharper decision-making while also improving on his accuracy in the short-to-intermediate passing game. He also flashed on the ground, complementing his 3,089 yards and 20 touchdowns through the air with nine rushing scores.

Rookie Devin Singletary also cemented himself as a building block for Buffalo in the 2019 campaign, picking up 969 total yards on 180 touches. He became the team’s featured back in the second half of the season, providing a spark to a Bills’ offense that looked lifeless at times. Buffalo was 5-2 in games in which Singletary had 14 or more carries.

Defensively, Tremaine Edmunds and Tre’Davious White continued their respective rises to national prominence. Edmunds showed elite-level athleticism and play recognition from the middle linebacker position, quarterbacking a defense that finished third in the league in total yardage.

White led the league in interceptions and did not allow a touchdown in coverage, earning All-Pro honors for the first time in his career.

And one could even argue that there are other storylines that perhaps better encapsulate Buffalo’s breakout season.

The team’s 2019 draft class, as a whole, performed admirably, with Ed Oliver, Cody Ford, and Dawson Knox all serving as significant contributors in their rookie seasons.

Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips experienced a career renaissance in Buffalo, tallying a career-high 9.5 sacks from the interior of the defensive line.

Wide receiver John Brown also constructed a career year in Western New York, reeling in 72 passes for 1,060 yards and six touchdowns after inking a three-year deal with the Bills in the offseason.

All these factors played a role in what was objectively Buffalo’s best season of the 21st century. The team finished the 2019 season with a 10-6 record, its first double-digit win total since 1999.

You’d be forgiven if recency bias is clouding your judgment of the entire season – as losing a two-score lead in the second half of a postseason game is nothing short of unacceptable.

Yet, despite that, it’s difficult to not be encouraged by the direction that Buffalo is heading in.

The team is far from perfect. The offense struggled throughout the majority of the season, its shortcomings stemming from a combination of poor execution and questionable play-calling.

Allen is still far from a polished quarterback, as poor footwork caused his passes, specifically those more than 15 yards down the field, to consistently go awry throughout the season.

The offense lacks a bonafide No. 1 weapon while the defense, while incredibly stout, also has a few question marks, with how the team will handle the retirement of starting outside linebacker Lorenzo Alexander perhaps being the most pressing matter.

But fans and analysts alike can be confident that the team will address these issues in the offseason. General manager Brandon Beane has been near-flawless since taking the reins of the team in the 2017 offseason, turning his inherited mess into an exciting young roster with franchise-caliber players at a number of core positions.

He can also make significant additions to his roster in the 2020 offseason. According to OverTheCap, the Bills are set to enter the new league year with north of $88 million in cap space, the largest amount of any reigning playoff team and the fourth-most of any team in the league.

Beane has the capital to construct a talented roster for head coach Sean McDermott, who’s coming off a Coach of the Year-caliber campaign.

Buffalo is not a perfect team, with its shortcomings made painfully apparent in its postseason collapse in Houston. Though a heartbreaking defeat was not the ideal way to end the Bills’ breakout season, a breakout season it still was.

The 2019 campaign saw Buffalo garner national attention for its strong play from its young playmakers and consistently strong coaching. Given the track record of those at the helm, there’s no reason to think that the team won’t build on its success moving forward.

Though it’s natural to dwell on the team’s postseason loss in the interim, don’t let the result fool you. The 2019 season was a genuine success for the Bills, the first of what will likely be many for the team’s current regime.

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