Buffalo Rumblings
The Houston Texans are riding a two-game winning streak heading into Thursday night’s showdown with the Buffalo Bills. Making Houston’s win streak more impressive is that they’ve done it with a backup quarterback, as Davis Mills has stepped in and played well in place of C.J. Stroud. Houston’s starter has missed the last two games with a concussion, and he’s been ruled out for Week 12.
With the league’s No. 1 scoring defense and an offense full of weapons, the Texans are not a team to take lightly. Whether it’s Stroud or Mills throwing passes, Houston has more than enough talent to make Buffalo’s night miserable.
How will the Bills earn their first win in Houston since the 2006 season? They’ll need to start by limiting the Texans’ top players on both sides of the ball. Here are five Texans to watch this week.
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RB Woody Marks
The way Buffalo has “defended” the run this season — and I use that term loosely in Buffalo’s case — I wouldn’t put it past Woody Johnson to run for 50 yards and a score. Take your pick between Marks and Nick Chubb, as any running back worth his salt can make the Bills’ defense look silly.
Buffalo is No. 29 in total rushing yards allowed, No. 31 in yards per carry allowed, No. 32 in rushing touchdowns allowed, No. 30 in 20-plus yard rushes allowed, and No. 32 in 40-plus yard rushes allowed. Houston’s rushing offense is mediocre at best, as they rank No. 23 in rushing yards, No. 22 in yards per carry, and No. 26 in rushing touchdowns.
None of that makes me believe that the Texans won’t be able to find room in the run game. Buffalo needs to make sure that Houston continues to struggle in this phase of the game, because if they can allow their pass rushers to go after Mills, then they will have a much easier time this week. If Marks and Chubb can combine for a solid outing, it’s going to make things harder for Buffalo. Marks is a good young back who is an adept receiver, as well.
WR Nico Collins
Even without Stroud, Collins has remained a force. In the last two games, Collins has 16 catches on 25 targets for 228 yards and a score. Those are monster numbers. For context, Collins’ numbers in those two games alone essentially equal Joshua Palmer’s total season numbers (Palmer has 16 catches on 25 targets for 251 yards this season).
When these two teams met last season, Collins was on his way to absolutely shredding the Buffalo defense before a hamstring injury took him out. It also gave the Bills a chance at a comeback.
Collins is going to be a focal point of Houston’s offense; therefore, he needs to be a focal point of the Buffalo defense. Christian Benford and Maxwell Hairston are going to need to cover him. If the Bills think Tre’Davious White or Ja’Marcus Ingram will suffice, they...
