The Buffalo Bills head to Houston in Week 5 to take on the Texans in a matchup of 3-1 teams.
The Bills will look to bounce back after a losing effort against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5, while the Texans (3-1) hope to further prove they belong at the top of the AFC.
The Bills (3-1) are favored by just one point. The Texans will be a tough test for a Bills team that is decimated by injury on defense.
For the Bills to improve to 4-1, they will need to be wary of these three things Sunday:
Texans’ offensive playmakers
The Texans have arguably the best trio of wide receivers in the NFL. Nico Collins has looked like one of the best WRs in the league through a month. Stefon Diggs has shown flashes in the slot. And now they get Tank Dell back from injury. Add on tight end Dalton Schultz and the Texans are a team that will make you defend every inch downfield.
The Texans rank eighth in the NFL in yards per game and fourth in passing yards per game. The Bills are missing key players all over the defense so they will have their hands full. The communication on defense has to be on point.
Derek Stingley Jr. at cornerback
It might be best to avoid throwing in Stingley Jr.’s direction on Sunday.
He’s allowing just a 53.8 passer rating when targeted and already has an interception to his name. The Bills may be wise not to attack him on the boundary often unless it’s thrown out of his reach to a high-flyer like Keon Coleman. Having a threat to worry about at cornerback is all the more reason for the Bills to focus on the middle of the field Sunday.
Top-five defense
The Texans are allowing just the fifth-fewest yards per game in the NFL (273.8). Even in their 34-7 blowout loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the offense was more of the problem. If the Bills offense looks more like their first three weeks then they should be fine. If they look like they did in Week 4 then it could be a long afternoon against the Texans defense. Eyes are on offensive coordinator Joe Brady to bounce back from last week with a solid game plan.
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