Buffalo
Bills
0-0
35
FINAL
34
Houston
Texans
0-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 1 matchup, the Buffalo Bills narrowly defeated the Houston Texans 35-34, kicking off the 2026 season with a nail-biter. Both teams showcased their offensive firepower, but it was Buffalo that managed to hold off a late surge from Houston to secure the victory.
Quarterback Josh Allen was the star for the Bills, throwing for four touchdowns to lead his team. Houston's C.J. Stroud put up impressive numbers with 296 passing yards, but it was Jacory Croskey-Merritt's 104 rushing yards and Tank Dell's dynamic 134 receiving yards that kept the Texans competitive throughout the game.
On the defensive side, the Bills made crucial plays, highlighted by Kaleb Elarms-Orr's two sacks that disrupted the Texans' offensive rhythm. C.J. Gardner-Johnson's four total tackles helped maintain pressure, but it was the timely interceptions by Calen Bullock of the Texans that nearly turned the tide. However, Buffalo's defense ultimately made the necessary stops to clinch the win, setting the stage for an exciting season ahead.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.J. Stroud | QB | 26 | 13 | 50% | 296 | 2 | 2 | 84.7 |
| Josh Allen | QB | 23 | 14 | 61% | 251 | 4 | 3 | 98.2 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacory Croskey-Merritt | HB | 12 | 104 | 8.7 | 6 | 3 | 41 | 0 |
| Saquon Barkley | HB | 10 | 93 | 9.3 | 14 | 1 | 66 | 0 |
| David Montgomery | HB | 11 | 86 | 7.8 | 22 | 1 | 27 | 0 |
| Josh Allen | QB | 8 | 68 | 8.5 | 18 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Ray Davis | HB | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Joshua Palmer | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jayden Higgins | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tank Dell | WR | 5 | 134 | 26.8 | 52 | 1 | 68 | 0 |
| Khalil Shakir | WR | 3 | 121 | 40.3 | 35 | 1 | 60 | 0 |
| Jacory Croskey-Merritt | HB | 5 | 117 | 23.4 | 101 | 1 | 46 | 0 |
| Saquon Barkley | HB | 3 | 72 | 24.0 | 23 | 1 | 57 | 0 |
| Tre Tucker | WR | 3 | 69 | 23.0 | 22 | 1 | 42 | 0 |
| Jayden Higgins | WR | 1 | 29 | 29.0 | 18 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| David Montgomery | HB | 2 | 28 | 14.0 | 28 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| DJ Moore | WR | 4 | 20 | 5.0 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 0 |
| Joshua Palmer | WR | 2 | 18 | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Dalton Kincaid | TE | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Ray Davis | HB | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Dalton Schultz | TE | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaleb Elarms-Orr | WILL | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Calen Bullock | FS | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Terrel Bernard | MIKE | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Maxwell Hairston | CB | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| C.J. Gardner-Johnson | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Sheldon Rankins | DT | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ed Oliver | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dorian Williams | WILL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Azeez Al-Shaair | MIKE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Greg Rousseau | LEDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Anderson Jr | LEDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trent McDuffie | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| M.J. Stewart Jr | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kamari Ramsey | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sam Franklin Jr | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Hancock | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Landon Jackson | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Benford | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Andreessen | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reed Blankenship | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Jalon Kilgore | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ja'Marcus Ingram | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kamari Lassiter | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Pitre | CB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ka'imi Fairbairn | K | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Tyler Bass | K | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |

