Bills 36, Texans 31: Palmer's 34-Yarder, Then Rousseau's Sack

September 13, 2026 - Houston - Josh Allen had lost here four times, including the playoffs. The last visit was eight sacks. This time he left with 334 passing yards, four total touchdowns, and the first Buffalo win in this building since 2006.

The Buffalo Bills beat the Houston Texans 36-31. Joe Brady's first game as head coach was a 96-yard drive and a strip-sack. It was not quiet.

Allen completed 20 of 29, threw two scores, ran for two more, and took two sacks. Dalton Kincaid caught five for 130. DJ Moore caught five for 100 and a touchdown. Buffalo ran 52 plays and gained 409 yards, 7.9 per snap, per ESPN.

Four lead changes, then 31-30

David Montgomery punched in from a yard to make it 7-3, set up by a 25-yard catch from Nico Collins. Allen scrambled 21 yards for a touchdown early in the second. 10-7 Buffalo.

Kamari Lassiter's pass interference in the end zone on Moore put the ball at the 1. Allen dove in two plays later. 17-14.

It kept swinging. Houston led 31-30 in the fourth after C.J. Stroud hit Collins from 7 yards at 13:34. Stroud finished 26 of 38 for 274 yards and two scores. Montgomery had 60 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 20 carries. Collins caught seven for 75 and a score. Houston had the lead and the building.

Buffalo started at its own 4 with 3:13 left. Allen hit Kincaid for 35 yards to the Houston 33. Three plays later, 1:36 on the clock, he split two defenders and threw a 34-yard post to Joshua Palmer. The two-point pass failed. 36-31.

Rousseau's second strip-sack

The Texans still had a shot. They reached the Buffalo 28. Greg Rousseau had already strip-sacked Stroud once. He did it again. Terrel Bernard recovered. Game.

Rousseau finished with two sacks, two forced fumbles, four solos. Deone Walker added a sack. Will Anderson Jr. got to Allen once. It was not eight. Buffalo chipped the edges and used three tight ends on 40.4% of snaps, per ESPN. Allen completed 11 of 15 throws that traveled at least 10 yards in the air for 286 yards and both passing scores.

James Cook ran 13 times for 57. He did not need a huge day. Allen covered the rest. Ka'imi Fairbairn hit a 50-plus field goal and four extra points. Tyler Bass made three extra points and three field goals, including one from 40-plus. Lassiter had a chance at a game-sealing interception in the end zone and dropped it, per CBS. That was the opening Allen needed.

Brady has his first win. Houston is 0-1 in a game that felt like January and landed in September. Buffalo had not won in this stadium in 20 years, per Reuters. Allen had not won here in five career tries, playoffs included. He did on the first Sunday.

AthX Engine on a 7.9-yards-per-play night

AthX Engine NFL scoring already has the Week 1 lines in. Allen's four scores and 357 combined yards land at 56.47. Rousseau's two sacks and two forced fumbles are 50.00. Kincaid is 40.00. Moore is 33.50. Stroud is 33.67. Collins is 30.00. Buffalo's team line is 79.25.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for Allen in a building that used to own him. They move together. They are not the same number.

Track Allen, Kincaid, Stroud, and both clubs on the marketplace. Detroit visits Buffalo on Thursday night. Cincinnati visits Houston on Sept. 20.

*Sources: AP recap (ESPN), ESPN, Reuters, CBS Sports. AthX Engine Week 1 lines scored from nflverse weekly stats. Information only; not financial advice.*