One of the first things I get asked about regarding the Texans-Bills showdown is will this defense continue to do great things against Josh Allen.
The Bills QB is a virtuoso signal caller that plays like a Marvel character. He's one of the most dangerous players in the NFL, who can beat you with his arms, legs and brain.
Yet, he's 0-3 in this building, plus a loss off the bench in his rookie year of 2018. In his three starts, his quarterback rating hasn't eclipsed 70. In the most relevant matchups to this one – the last two years, he was 9-30 in one outing and sacked eight times in the other.
All that being said, every one of these games has come down to the wire. Despite not being at his very best, his team had a terrific shot to win but the Texans made the crucial last-moment plays to pull out W's.
So, before we walk about 'Texans dominance' over a quarterback, let's remember that it's a team game and these two squads match up very week against each other.
Another thing that's on my mind is the noon start. Doesn't this game have 'primetime' written all over it?! That might be true but both teams have plenty of stand-alone TV window action ahead of them. Houston will take on the Colts, Packers, Eagles and Steelers, all in primetime. Plus, there's the national broadcast of Texans-Jags from London Week six.
This team is loaded with experienced veterans. But plenty of focus will be on the offensive line, where rookie Keylan Rutledge makes his debut. DeMeco Ryans already told us in studio Monday that while last year's line was a work in progress early on, this year's group has had a few weeks together to start gelling process earlier.
We'll talk more about the particulars of this game as the week progresses. But don't let this nugget slip by you – the Texans are starting their youngest punter since Trevor Daniel got the job in 2018. Since that season, they've gone with experienced legs in Bryan Anger, Cameron Johnston and Tommy Townsend. 24-year-old Kai Kroeger won the gig in camp and put up a 45.6 net punt average in the preseason – a number that would have led the NFL in 2025.
Listen to Texans All Access all week long for everything you need to know about the opener and beyond.
