‘An AFC championship matchup.’ How Texans view opening game against Bills
When the Houston Texans take to the turf at Reliant Stadium this Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, it will be the first time the team has opened at home since DeMeco Ryans took over as head coach of the franchise.
“The NFL is back,” Ryans said with a big smile during his Wednesday press conference. “We got a great matchup to start the year. Let’s get it.”
It’s also a familiar matchup for the Texans. This is the third straight season Houston will face Buffalo at home.
Both of the previous matchups have gone in the Texans’ favor. Ka’imi Fairbairn nailed a 59-yard game-winning field goal in 2024 to send the Bills back to upstate New York with a 23-20 loss.
C.J. STROUD:Inside the QB’s offseason transformation
Then Davis Mills, filling in for C.J. Stroud due to his concussion, threw for two touchdowns. and Houston’s defense sacked Josh Allen eight times in a 23-19 victory. Will Anderson Jr. led the way with 2.5 sacks and Danielle Hunter had two as well.
“This is an AFC Championship matchup,” Anderson said. “Two really good teams. We have a ton of respect for them.”
Allen, arguably the league’s best quarterback, is still running the show on offense and running back James Cook still features alongside him in the backfield.
Cook, a three-time Pro Bowler, led the league in rushing last year with 1,621 yards to go along with 12 touchdowns. Anderson, who played against Cook when the two were in college in the SEC, called him one of the best running backs in the league.
But while those core pieces remain, there has been some notable turnover in Buffalo. On the sideline, Sean McDermott, Allen’s coach since the Bills drafted him seventh overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, is out. Joe Brady earned the promotion from offensive coordinator, and Sunday will be the 36-year-old leader’s first game as a head coach.
Allen also has a new dynamic weapon at his disposal in DJ Moore, whom the Bills acquired from the Chicago Bears in an offseason trade.
Ryans highlighted the Buffalo offense’s big-play ability and the importance of eliminating their explosive plays. Cook scored on a 45-yard run against Houston in 2025 and Allen found Keon Coleman for a 49-yard touchdown pass in 2024.
“We just got to make a play when the ball is up in the air,” Ryans said. “We got to find a way to make a play, and we got to get after the quarterback as best we can. (Allen’s) a great player. We have great rushers. It’s going to be a really good matchup.”
While the Bills and Texans may be familiar with each other from the past two seasons, the two teams haven’t faced one another in the AFC playoffs at all during the Ryans era in Houston. This is despite both teams making each of Ryans’ first three seasons.
Those pedigrees, and both teams’ hopes for winning their divisions and finishing at or near the top of the conference, adds some extra stakes to this as an early season matchup. A win doesn’t just start one team’s season on the right foot, it also gives them a tiebreaking leg up for the next 17 weeks on a top competitor.
“I think the sky’s the limit,” running back David Montgomery said of the Texans potential. “Nothing’s gonna be perfect. We’re gonna have to rely on each other through good, bad,and indifferent – and we’ll do that.”
All players practiced
All 53 active Texans players practiced Wednesday, although rookie defensive tackle Kayden McDonald is listed on the injury report as being a limited participant with an ankle issue.
“All of our guys are out there working, which is a great thing,” Ryans said.
Subscribe
There’s more to Houston with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.
This article originally published at ‘An AFC championship matchup.’ How Texans view opening game against Bills.