Houston Texans 31–36 Buffalo Bills
- Season
- NFL
- 2026 · Regular Season · Week 1
NFL: Buffalo Bills beat Houston Texans 36–31.
Game leaders
274C.J. StroudPassing yards
334Josh Allen
60David MontgomeryRushing yards
57James Cook
75Nico CollinsReceiving yards
130Dalton Kincaid
How the score moved
The running score, step by step, with every score marked.
- Houston Texans
- Buffalo Bills
Show as a table
| When | Houston Texans | Buffalo Bills |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 7:28 · Tyler Bass | 0 | 3 |
| Q1 0:32 · David Montgomery | 7 | 3 |
| Q2 12:46 · Josh Allen | 7 | 10 |
| Q2 4:48 · David Montgomery | 14 | 10 |
| Q2 3:59 · Josh Allen | 14 | 17 |
| Q2 1:29 · DJ Moore | 14 | 24 |
| Q2 0:26 · Nico Collins | 21 | 24 |
| Q3 4:24 · Tyler Bass | 21 | 27 |
| Q4 13:34 · David Montgomery | 28 | 27 |
| Q4 10:31 · Tyler Bass | 28 | 30 |
| Q4 6:44 · Ka'imi Fairbairn | 31 | 30 |
| Q4 1:36 · Joshua Palmer | 31 | 36 |
| 60′ | 31 | 36 |
How efficient each offense was
Conversions on the downs that keep drives alive, yards gained per snap and per drive, how each side moved the ball, and who held it.
- Houston Texans
- Buffalo Bills
Third-down conversions
44%7/1633%3/9
Fourth-down conversions
100%2/20%0/1
Red-zone touchdowns
80%4/533%1/3
- 5.27.9Yards per play
- 2.823.00Points per drive
- 34.634.1Yards per drive
- 7352Plays
How the yards came
Houston Texans
Pass 257Rush 124
Buffalo Bills
Pass 323Rush 86
- Time of possession
- 36:1723:43
- Turnover margin
- -2+2
- Sacks made
- 23
- Penalties (yards)
- 7 (106)10 (85)
Show as a table
| Houston Texans | Buffalo Bills | |
|---|---|---|
| Third-down conversions | 7/16 | 3/9 |
| Fourth-down conversions | 2/2 | 0/1 |
| Red-zone touchdowns | 4/5 | 1/3 |
| Yards per play | 5.2 | 7.9 |
| Points per drive | 2.82 | 3.00 |
| Yards per drive | 34.6 | 34.1 |
| Plays | 73 | 52 |
| Passing yards | 257 | 323 |
| Rushing yards | 124 | 86 |
| Time of possession | 36:17 | 23:43 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Penalties (yards) | 7 (106) | 10 (85) |
Scoring plays
Q1
- Q1 7:280–3Tyler Bass(Field goal)
- David Montgomery(Touchdown)Q1 0:327–3
- Q1 7:280–3
Q2
- Q2 12:467–10Josh Allen(Touchdown)
- David Montgomery(Touchdown)Q2 4:4814–10
- Q2 3:5914–17Josh Allen(Touchdown)
- Q2 1:2914–24DJ Moore(Touchdown)
- Nico Collins(Touchdown)Q2 0:2621–24
- Q2 12:467–10
Q3
- Q3 4:2421–27Tyler Bass(Field goal)
- Q3 4:2421–27
Q4
- David Montgomery(Touchdown)Q4 13:3428–27
- Q4 10:3128–30Tyler Bass(Field goal)
- Ka'imi Fairbairn(Field goal)Q4 6:4431–30
- Q4 1:3631–36Joshua Palmer(Touchdown)
Key stats
- 381Total yards409
- 257Passing yards323
- 124Rushing yards86
- 26First downs20
- 73Total plays52
- 5.2Yards per play7.9
- 6.3Yards per pass10.4
- 3.9Yards per rush4.1
- 26/38Comp / Att20/29
- 32Rushing attempts21
Quarter by quarter
Houston Texans led after 1 of 4 quarters, Buffalo Bills after 3. Largest lead at a break: 6 points, Buffalo Bills after Q3. Counted at the end of each period, not throughout.
- Houston Texans
- Buffalo Bills
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans | 7 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 31 |
| Buffalo Bills | 3 | 21 | 3 | 9 | 36 |
Facts
From each side's recent results and their meetings, before this game.
Houston Texans: 0 won, 3 lost in their last 3 games.- Houston Texans have lost their last 3 games.
- Houston Texans scored 40 points and allowed 65 in their last 3 games.
Buffalo Bills: 3 won, 0 lost in their last 3 games.- Buffalo Bills have won their last 3 games.
- Buffalo Bills scored 88 points and allowed 48 in their last 3 games.
Recent form
Standings
American Football Conference · AFC East
| POS | Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buffalo Bills | 5 | 1 | 0 | 197 | 171 | .833 |
| 2 |  New England Patriots | 4 | 3 | 0 | 160 | 143 | .571 |
| 3 |  New York Jets | 2 | 5 | 0 | 137 | 150 | .286 |
| 4 |  Miami Dolphins | 1 | 5 | 0 | 98 | 157 | .167 |
American Football Conference · AFC South
| POS | Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jacksonville Jaguars | 4 | 2 | 0 | 154 | 104 | .667 |
| 2 |  Indianapolis Colts | 2 | 5 | 0 | 154 | 180 | .286 |
| 3 | Houston Texans | 2 | 5 | 0 | 165 | 170 | .286 |
| 4 |  Tennessee Titans | 1 | 6 | 0 | 108 | 156 | .143 |
Timeline
Q1
- Q1 7:280–3Tyler Bass(Field goal)
- David Montgomery(Touchdown)Q1 0:327–3
- Q1 7:280–3
Q2
- Q2 12:467–10Josh Allen(Touchdown)
- David Montgomery(Touchdown)Q2 4:4814–10
- Q2 3:5914–17Josh Allen(Touchdown)
- Q2 1:2914–24DJ Moore(Touchdown)
- Nico Collins(Touchdown)Q2 0:2621–24
- Q2 12:467–10
Q3
- Q3 4:2421–27Tyler Bass(Field goal)
- Q3 4:2421–27
Q4
- David Montgomery(Touchdown)Q4 13:3428–27
- Q4 10:3128–30Tyler Bass(Field goal)
- Ka'imi Fairbairn(Field goal)Q4 6:4431–30
- Q4 1:3631–36Joshua Palmer(Touchdown)
How efficient each offense was
Conversions on the downs that keep drives alive, yards gained per snap and per drive, how each side moved the ball, and who held it.
- Houston Texans
- Buffalo Bills
Third-down conversions
44%7/1633%3/9
Fourth-down conversions
100%2/20%0/1
Red-zone touchdowns
80%4/533%1/3
- 5.27.9Yards per play
- 2.823.00Points per drive
- 34.634.1Yards per drive
- 7352Plays
How the yards came
Houston Texans
Pass 257Rush 124
Buffalo Bills
Pass 323Rush 86
- Time of possession
- 36:1723:43
- Turnover margin
- -2+2
- Sacks made
- 23
- Penalties (yards)
- 7 (106)10 (85)
Show as a table
| Houston Texans | Buffalo Bills | |
|---|---|---|
| Third-down conversions | 7/16 | 3/9 |
| Fourth-down conversions | 2/2 | 0/1 |
| Red-zone touchdowns | 4/5 | 1/3 |
| Yards per play | 5.2 | 7.9 |
| Points per drive | 2.82 | 3.00 |
| Yards per drive | 34.6 | 34.1 |
| Plays | 73 | 52 |
| Passing yards | 257 | 323 |
| Rushing yards | 124 | 86 |
| Time of possession | 36:17 | 23:43 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Penalties (yards) | 7 (106) | 10 (85) |
Where the points came from, quarter by quarter
Each side's points in each quarter, split by how they were scored.
- Houston Texans
- Buffalo Bills
- Touchdowns
- Field goals
- Extra points and conversions
7
3
14
21
3
10
9
Show as a table
| Quarter | Houston Texans · Touchdowns | Buffalo Bills · Touchdowns | Houston Texans · Field goals | Buffalo Bills · Field goals | Houston Texans · Extra points and conversions | Buffalo Bills · Extra points and conversions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Q2 | 12 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Q3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Q4 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
The yards, and how efficiently they came
Each side's leading passer, rusher and receiver, with the rate behind the total.
Passing
C.J. Stroud
26/38 completions
274yards2 TD
Josh Allen
20/29 completions
334yards2 TD
Rushing
David Montgomery
20 carries
60yards2 TD
James Cook
13 carries
57yards
Receiving
Nico Collins
7/10 caught/targeted
75yards1 TD
Dalton Kincaid
5/6 caught/targeted
130yards
- Houston Texans
- Buffalo Bills
Offence
- 381Total yards409
- 257Passing yards323
- 124Rushing yards86
- 26First downs20
- 73Total plays52
- 5.2Yards per play7.9
- 6.3Yards per pass10.4
- 3.9Yards per rush4.1
- 26/38Comp / Att20/29
- 32Rushing attempts21
Efficiency
- 7-163rd down efficiency3-9
- 2-24th down efficiency0-1
- 4-5Red zone (made / att)1-3
- 11Drives12
- 36:17Possession23:43
Turnovers & penalties
- 2Turnovers0
- 0Interceptions thrown0
- 2Fumbles lost0
- 7-106Penalties10-85
- 2Sacks3
- 3-17Sacks – yards lost2-11
Defence
- 0Interceptions0
- 0Interception touchdowns0
- 0Safeties0
Quarter by quarter
Houston Texans led after 1 of 4 quarters, Buffalo Bills after 3. Largest lead at a break: 6 points, Buffalo Bills after Q3. Counted at the end of each period, not throughout.
- Houston Texans
- Buffalo Bills
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans | 7 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 31 |
| Buffalo Bills | 3 | 21 | 3 | 9 | 36 |
Passing
| C.J. Stroud | 26/38 | 274 | 7.2 | 2 | 3-17 | 68.3 |
Rushing
| David Montgomery | 20 | 60 | 3.0 | 2 | 18 |
| Jo'quavious Marks | 9 | 42 | 4.7 | 0 | 12 |
| C.J. Stroud | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 | 15 |
| Nico Collins | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 7 |
Receiving
| Nico Collins | 10 | 7 | 75 | 10.7 | 1 | 25 |
| Jaylin Noel | 2 | 2 | 53 | 26.5 | 0 | 35 |
| Dalton Schultz | 8 | 4 | 35 | 8.8 | 0 | 18 |
| Xavier Hutchinson | 6 | 3 | 32 | 10.7 | 0 | 20 |
| Kayshon Boutte | 2 | 1 | 21 | 21.0 | 0 | 21 |
| David Montgomery | 3 | 3 | 19 | 6.3 | 1 | 9 |
| Marlin Klein | 1 | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 0 | 16 |
| Foster Moreau | 2 | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 | 9 |
| Jared Wayne | 1 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 0 | 12 |
| Cade Stover | 1 | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | 0 | -2 |
| Jo'quavious Marks | 1 | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | 0 | -2 |
Fumbles
Defensive
| Azeez Al-Shaair | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reed Blankenship | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Calen Bullock | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Pitre | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Derek Stingley Jr. | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kamari Lassiter | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Anderson Jr. | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Sheldon Rankins | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tommy Togiai | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Henry To'oTo'o | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jake Hansen | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cade Stover | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jadeveon Clowney | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Tremon Smith | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaylin Smith | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mario Edwards Jr. | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ka'imi Fairbairn | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| George Odum | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dominique Robinson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sabastian Harsh | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wade Woodaz | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Danielle Hunter | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Kick returns
| Jo'quavious Marks | 3 | 78 | 26.0 | 31 |
| Jaylin Noel | 3 | 70 | 23.3 | 26 |
| Tremon Smith | 2 | 54 | 27.0 | 28 |
Kicking
| Ka'imi Fairbairn | 1/1 | 100.0 | 58 | 4/4 | 7 |
Punting
| Kai Kroeger | 4 | 208 | 52.0 | 2 | 59 |
American Football Conference · AFC East
| POS | Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buffalo Bills | 5 | 1 | 0 | 197 | 171 | .833 |
| 2 | New England Patriots | 4 | 3 | 0 | 160 | 143 | .571 |
| 3 | New York Jets | 2 | 5 | 0 | 137 | 150 | .286 |
| 4 | Miami Dolphins | 1 | 5 | 0 | 98 | 157 | .167 |
American Football Conference · AFC South
| POS | Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 4 | 2 | 0 | 154 | 104 | .667 |
| 2 | Indianapolis Colts | 2 | 5 | 0 | 154 | 180 | .286 |
| 3 | Houston Texans | 2 | 5 | 0 | 165 | 170 | .286 |
| 4 | Tennessee Titans | 1 | 6 | 0 | 108 | 156 | .143 |
American Football Conference · AFC North
| POS | Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cleveland Browns | 5 | 2 | 0 | 133 | 146 | .714 |
| 2 |  Pittsburgh Steelers | 5 | 2 | 0 | 153 | 138 | .714 |
| 3 |  Cincinnati Bengals | 4 | 2 | 0 | 163 | 122 | .667 |
| 4 |  Baltimore Ravens | 4 | 3 | 0 | 169 | 167 | .571 |
American Football Conference · AFC West
| POS | Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kansas City Chiefs | 5 | 1 | 0 | 143 | 103 | .833 |
| 2 |  Denver Broncos | 5 | 2 | 0 | 144 | 141 | .714 |
| 3 |  Las Vegas Raiders | 3 | 4 | 0 | 183 | 197 | .429 |
| 4 |  Los Angeles Chargers | 0 | 6 | 0 | 90 | 151 | .000 |
National Football Conference · NFC East
| POS | Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  New York Giants | 4 | 2 | 1 | 163 | 161 | .643 |
| 2 |  Philadelphia Eagles | 2 | 4 | 0 | 106 | 137 | .333 |
| 3 |  Dallas Cowboys | 2 | 4 | 0 | 151 | 159 | .333 |
| 4 |  Washington Commanders | 1 | 4 | 1 | 132 | 172 | .250 |
National Football Conference · NFC North
| POS | Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Minnesota Vikings | 6 | 0 | 0 | 125 | 74 | 1.000 |
| 2 |  Chicago Bears | 5 | 2 | 0 | 180 | 143 | .714 |
| 3 |  Detroit Lions | 4 | 2 | 0 | 184 | 165 | .667 |
| 4 |  Green Bay Packers | 4 | 3 | 0 | 144 | 145 | .571 |
National Football Conference · NFC South
| POS | Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Carolina Panthers | 3 | 3 | 0 | 159 | 166 | .500 |
| 2 |  Atlanta Falcons | 3 | 4 | 0 | 171 | 173 | .429 |
| 3 |  Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2 | 5 | 0 | 162 | 151 | .286 |
| 4 |  New Orleans Saints | 2 | 5 | 0 | 162 | 194 | .286 |
National Football Conference · NFC West
| POS | Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  San Francisco 49ers | 6 | 1 | 0 | 197 | 139 | .857 |
| 2 |  Seattle Seahawks | 4 | 3 | 0 | 168 | 125 | .571 |
| 3 |  Los Angeles Rams | 3 | 4 | 0 | 170 | 159 | .429 |
| 4 |  Arizona Cardinals | 2 | 5 | 0 | 142 | 208 | .286 |