This Is What I Took Away From Bills 36-31 Win Over The Texans

The Buffalo Bills didn’t just exorcise demons against the Houston Texans, they sent those defensive demons to another dimension.

While not a runaway victory, Josh Allen and Co. scored 36 points on the DeMeco Ryans’ vaunted unit, which tied for the most the Texans have allowed in a single game since October 2022.

These were my four biggest takeaways from Buffalo’s thrilling victory.

That was the most explosive I’ve seen the offense in a long time

…especially considering the opponent. And the numbers matched the feeling while watching the game. The Bills had five 30+ yard passing plays against the Texans, more than any in a single game over the past two seasons.

They had four while scoring 42 points against the Rams in 2024 and four again the following Week in a 48-42 victory over the Lions.

In this contest, Buffalo forced Houston to cover the entire field, which is precisely what Josh Allen is capable of given his arm talent and accuracy, notably when he has proper weapons.

Allen’s average depth of target was 12.8 yards in this game, his highest figure in a win since Week 18… of 2022.

The exclamation mark of this eruption in Houston was this — last season, Allen had 25 completions on throws he made 20 or more yards down the field. He had four such completions against that Texans defense on Sunday. That is 16% of the 2025 total in 5.8% (1 of 17) of the regular season games. Goodness.

Deone Walker and Ed Oliver combo was sensational

Remember when there was worry about Oliver’s fit in Jim Leonhard’s scheme? Even odd-man base fronts need one-gap upfield disruptors, and Oliver was exactly as advertised in this game. Ironically, it was Oliver’s first step and lightning-quick backfield entries that allowed many of his front-seven mates to generate big plays near the line of scrimmage or pressures of C.J. Stroud throughout this contest. Many of us thought it’d be the oversized defensive linemen who’d free Oliver for one-on-one wins. His impact was huge, beyond any stat sheet.

And where to begin with Walker? He looked exactly like the 2023 Kentucky version of himself that prompted me to write an article that suggested he could become the next Dexter Lawrence… or even scarier. Walker’s swim move for an enormous sack of Stroud on the final drive was outrageous. Borderline unprecedented for a man his size. He was a 6’7”, 330-pound magnet to the football against the run too, often demolished Houston’s blocking schemes on his 51 (!) snaps.

The Oliver and Walker duo definitely needs a nickname.

The secondary will take some time to master new scheme

The Max Hairston-Dee Alford miscommunication on Houston’s final drive is fresh in my mind, but the Bills gave Texans receivers — even those not named Nico Collins — far too much room when Buffalo played zone throughout this game.

Leonhard blitzed 31% of the time against Houston, which was right around the Broncos’ 2025 blitz rate, yet they weren’t very successful because of holes in coverage behind them.

This new scheme is complex. Lots of moving parts — players rapidly replacing blitzers — and goes all-in much more frequently than any iteration Buffalo’s defense under Sean McDermott. The Bills secondary is filled with young players. Don’t be surprised if it takes time for this unit to gel together against the variety of offensive looks it will see early in the season.

Also too… with an improved offensive line, Houston’s offense is going to be noticeably better this season, so it’s not as if the Bills defense laid an egg against a bad unit. That perspective matters.

13 personnel

Buffalo utilized 11 personnel — three receivers — 45.6% of the time against the Texans. Reasonably normal. Their second-most used personnel grouping was… 13 personnel, which is three tight ends on the field at the same time, at 36.8% of the offensive snaps! That’s a huge number. Like seismic. Of course, just one game here, but for perspective, the Rams led the NFL in 13 personnel at 30.4% last season.

Dalton Kincaid had the most receiving yards for a Bills tight end in a single game since 1967 and appeared on 72% of the snaps (!) while Dawson Knox played 67%. Jackson Hawes played 43%, and even Keleki Latu appeared on four snaps. These hybrid receiver-blockers make it impossible to guess run or pass, and as Kincaid demonstrated against last season’s No. 1 EPA per play and EPA per drop back defense, he can rip a secondary to shreds when he’s not blocking.

The 13 personnel wrinkle — which may actually be a staple — in this offense can take the unit to new heights this season.