Texans beat Bills on last-second field goal, slowing down Josh Allen: Key takeaways

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By Zak Keefer, Tim Graham, Joe Buscaglia and Tobias Bass

Revenge is a dish best served cold, because that's exactly what receiver Stefon Diggs and the Houston Texans did at the buzzer on a 59-yard kick from Ka on Sunday in a 23-20 win over the Buffalo Bills at NRG Stadium 'imi Fairbairn. This was Fairbairn's eighth game-winning field goal of his career.

Diggs, who moved from Buffalo to Houston this offseason after spending his last four seasons with the franchise, caught six passes for 82 yards and was forced into a larger role after Nico Collins was sidelined with a hamstring injury with 1:43 left in the first Quarter. Collins caught both of his targets for 78 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown in which he limped as he jogged into the end zone.

Houston is 4-1, their second-best five-game start in franchise history.

Second-year quarterback CJ Stroud has now thrown for 300 yards or more in consecutive games, and on Sunday he did so by completing 28 of 38 passes for a touchdown and an interception.

There was a frightening sight in the fourth quarter when Josh Allen rolled out to extend a play but was tackled low by Mario Edwards Jr. and hit his head on the turf. He immediately went to the blue tent but was able to return to the game after only one missed shot. Allen was 9 of 30 for 131 passing yards and a touchdown while adding 54 rushing yards.

Buffalo hasn't beaten the Texans in Houston since Nov. 19, 2006, but will look to get back on track in Week 6 against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football. As for the Texans, they will travel to Foxborough to face the New England Patriots.

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Eye-catching uniforms. Furious conclusion.

Last week, Stroud drove the Texans 69 yards and 2:36 on nine plays and hit Dare Ogunbowale for a 1-yard touchdown to beat the Jaguars late in the fourth. This time, Stroud can thank Sean McDermott and the Bills' strange decision-making that gave him and the Houston offense everything it took to pull off a stunning last-second win.

With seven seconds left, Stroud hit Ogunbowale for a lead of five at the Buffalo 41, which was just enough for Fairbairn to make the game-winning kick.

The Bills' stupid decision to throw three straight late rather than play in overtime is the story of this game, but from the Texans' perspective, Houston is now 4-1 and in control of the AFC South. A loss would have been difficult to swallow, especially after building a 20-3 lead early in the third quarter. This was a rout aided by the Bills' late-game faux pas. — Zak Keefer, NFL Enterprise writer

Buffalo's offense is struggling

Buffalo's offense was incompetent in the first half. Allen entered the second quarter with one completion on nine attempts, the worst start of his career. His last two passes before halftime were intercepted by Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. The first dropped pick could have been a Bills touchdown, but Allen subdued the wide-open tight end Dalton Kincaid. Mack Hollins, who struggled to get going on offense, was the only Bills receiver with a catch at halftime. Something happened at halftime, although not enough.

Seemingly counterintuitively, the Bills decided to erase a 20-3 deficit on the field with an extra lineman. Running back James Cook got traction, including a 5-yard touchdown with 8:48 left in the third quarter. Bills rookie Keon Coleman became just their second wideout with a catch, turning a fourth-and-5 hitch into a 49-yard touchdown with 4:20 left in the third quarter.

With the help of some Stroud giveaways related to a boneheaded decision by Houston punt returner Robert Woods to field the ball at its 2-yard line, Buffalo eventually tied the game – an unimaginable scenario at halftime – at 33- Yard Tyler Bass field goal with 3:18 left.

Stroud helped Buffalo again with a completely unnecessary intentional grounding that turned a 57-yard field goal attempt by Fairbairn into a punt with 41 seconds left, but the offense ended before his fateful 59-yard thrower. — Tim Graham, Bills beat writer

Slow start for the Bills

The Bills couldn't have started the game worse defensively. They allowed five straight plays of more than 10 yards – including a one-play drive with a 67-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Collins that split the defense. Looking rudderless and lost at sea, they suffered two landings in a row, resulting in a possible explosion on deck. But as the Bills entered the second half, the defense settled down. They still allowed some big plays, but on a crucial drive in the second quarter they forced the Texans offense off the field with a 4-1 lead in scoring territory.

They continued their bend-but-don't-break offense mixed with two turnovers, limiting the Texans to just nine points the rest of the way. While the Bills offense faltered, the struggling Bills defense somehow kept the team afloat and could have eked out a win after coming from behind. — Joe Buscaglia, Bills beat writer

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(Photo: Tim Warner/Getty Images)