Buffalo
Bills
0-0
31
FINAL
20
Houston
Texans
0-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe Buffalo Bills kicked off the 2026 season with a strong showing, defeating the Houston Texans 31-20 in a Week 1 matchup. Both teams were eager to set the tone for the year, but it was Buffalo that ultimately asserted its dominance on the road.
Josh Allen showcased his elite skills as he threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Bills' high-powered offense. DJ Moore emerged as his favorite target, racking up 119 receiving yards, while James Cook III contributed on the ground with 53 rushing yards. The Bills' offensive balance proved too much for the Texans to handle throughout the game.
Defensively, Troy Andersen stood out for Buffalo, recording nine total tackles to help stifle Houston's attempts to mount a comeback. The turning point came late in the third quarter when the Bills' defense held strong, forcing a critical turnover that allowed Allen to extend the lead. With Tommy Togiai recording 1.5 sacks for Houston, it was a valiant effort, but Buffalo's defense ultimately proved to be the backbone of their victory.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Allen | QB | 32 | 24 | 75% | 289 | 3 | 0 | 133.4 |
| C.J. Stroud | QB | 37 | 22 | 59% | 275 | 1 | 0 | 91.6 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Cook III | HB | 19 | 53 | 2.8 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| David Montgomery | HB | 13 | 44 | 3.4 | 9 | 1 | 13 | 1 |
| Josh Allen | QB | 10 | 40 | 4.0 | — | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| C.J. Stroud | QB | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Ray Davis | HB | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Ty Johnson | HB | 4 | 2 | 0.5 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Nico Collins | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| British Brooks | FB | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kayshon Boutte | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Khalil Shakir | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tank Dell | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Skyler Bell | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dalton Schultz | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DJ Moore | WR | 6 | 119 | 19.8 | 33 | 1 | 29 | 0 |
| Kayshon Boutte | WR | 5 | 114 | 22.8 | 45 | 1 | 32 | 1 |
| Khalil Shakir | WR | 5 | 73 | 14.6 | 29 | 1 | 23 | 0 |
| Nico Collins | WR | 4 | 67 | 16.8 | 12 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Dalton Schultz | TE | 6 | 38 | 6.3 | 11 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Dalton Kincaid | TE | 4 | 34 | 8.5 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| Skyler Bell | WR | 4 | 33 | 8.3 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Jayden Higgins | WR | 2 | 28 | 14.0 | 12 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| James Cook III | HB | 3 | 23 | 7.7 | 18 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| Foster Moreau | TE | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 6 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Tank Dell | WR | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | — | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Ray Davis | HB | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| British Brooks | FB | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| David Montgomery | HB | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Ty Johnson | HB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troy Andersen | MIKE | 9 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tommy Togiai | DT | 6 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Greg Rousseau | LEDG | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Henry To'oTo'o | WILL | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kamari Lassiter | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Danielle Hunter | REDG | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sheldon Rankins | DT | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Calen Bullock | FS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Azeez Al-Shaair | MIKE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Anderson Jr | LEDG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dorian Williams | WILL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derek Stingley Jr | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dee Alford | CB | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cole Bishop | FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Christian Benford | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C.J. Gardner-Johnson | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| TJ Parker | REDG | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maxwell Hairston | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ed Oliver | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| E.J. Speed | SAM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Pitre | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Damar Hamlin | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Hoecht | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Danna | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Davison Igbinosun | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Deone Walker | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reed Blankenship | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tommy Doman Jr | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyler Bass | K | 1 | 1 | 4 | 33 |
| Ka'imi Fairbairn | K | 2 | 2 | 2 | 53 |

