7 Biggest Takeaways From Texans' Humbling Week 1 Loss vs. Bills

The Houston Texans came up just short of a Week 1 victory against the Buffalo Bills, losing 31-36 on their home field in Reliant Stadium, for what ended up as a less-than-ideal start to the new year for this Texans roster.

The Texans were within arm's reach of a winning effort in Week 1 as they crept within less than 30 yards of a touchdown in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, down by five points. Houston had put together an inspiring drive until about 16 seconds remained on the clock, when a C.J. Stroud fumble would then kill any hopes of a win to begin the year for Houston.

While a rough start to the year for Houston, there's certainly a lot to gather from how the events unraveled. Let's sort through seven of the biggest takeaways to gather from the Texans' season opener loss:

C.J. Stroud Struggles With Ball Security Issues

Sep 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) makes a pass during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The biggest takeaway of this one is simple: the Texans did encounter several errors in the process of their Week 1 loss, yet the most glaring lowlight will shine on C.J. Stroud and his two fumbles lost.

One of those came early in the first quarter to unravel into an early Buffalo lead, 3-0, and the second was what ultimately stamped the demise of Houston's winning hopes in the fourth quarter when he was stripped by Bills edge rusher Greg Rousseau and lost a fumble with 16 seconds to go at the opposing 28.

BILLS FORCE A FUMBLE AND WIN 🚨

BUFvsHOU on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Ohl9TigVEF
— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026

And really, outside of those two plays for Stroud, his performance was relatively solid. He completed 26 of 38 throws for 274 yards and two touchdowns. But Stroud's back was against the wall in a make-or-break opportunity for the Texans, and his giveaway is what ultimately sunk a pretty productive drive into another 0-1 start for Houston.

David Montgomery Is Worth the Price of Admission

Sep 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back David Montgomery (32) scores a touchdown during the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While the end result didn't pan out in the Texans' favor, it's far from saying they didn't see any successes throughout the day, particularly on the offensive end. Because David Montgomery's debut with Houston wound up being much more than what any fan expected out of their new veteran running back.

Montgomery ran 20 times for 60 yards, caught three passes for 19 yards, and totaled a wild three touchdowns throughout the day to make himself the franchise's fifth running back to ever log three or more touchdowns in a single game.

COUNT 'EM 🗣️ That's three TDs for David Montgomery!

BUFvsHOU on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/iUc7FIoNID
— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026

He's left no doubt that he can be a much-needed lift for the Texans' run game, their red zone offense, and can be a clear RB1 ahead of Woody Marks, who he logged 11 more carries than throughout the game. Expect to see a lot more of him moving forward.

Josh Allen's Demons Were No Issue

Sep 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) calls a play during the second half against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Heading into this contest, Josh Allen has had no shortage of struggles against the Texans, which effectively led to a 1-5 career record. However, this time around looked a whole lot different for the 2024 league MVP, for what might be an early performance to add a second award to his trophy case.

He completed 20 of 29 passes for 334 yards and two touchdown passes, ran six times for 23 yards and two more touchdowns, and got sacked only two times compared to the staggering eight sacks he had seen in 2025. Allen was also able to lead D.J. Moore and Khalil Shakir to 100-plus-yard games apiece.

Josh Allen takes it in himself for the TD 💪

BUFvsHOU on CBS/Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/ihfkBNmfeS
— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026

Not only was it uncharacteristic for the Texans defense to allow such a performance for Allen, but it was also pretty irregular for the Bills quarterback to claim a victory in Houston––making for Buffalo's first win on the road against this team since 2006.

Texans' WR2 Remains a Mystery

Sep 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) makes a catch against Buffalo Bills cornerback Christian Benford (47) during the first quarter at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Texans saw a solid performance from their top weapon in the offense in the form of Nico Collins. He led the Texans with seven catches on 10 targets, 75 yards, and a touchdown as the potent pass-catcher he usually is.

Houston's second wide receiver in the offense, though, isn't quite as well defined. No other wide receiver collected more than three receptions across the day, and the only wideout to log more than two was Xavier Hutchinson with three catches for 32 yards.

On one hand, seeing Stroud being able to spread the love within this offense effectively through most of the day is a positive sign. However, finding a bona fide second option to step up behind Collins would be a welcomed presence for the Texans moving deeper into the year.

Houston's Defense Fell Well Short of Expectations

Sep 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) drops back for a pass during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Heading into this game, you would've assumed the Texans were due for a much better performance defensively, considering they've been touted as one of the best defenses in the NFL throughout the entire offseason. That just wasn't the case, though.

The Bills had over 400 total yards throughout the day, scored more points than any opposing team did in a game against the Texans throughout the 2025 season, and Houston's defense didn't generate any turnovers compared to the two that were given away themselves.

Knowing that the Texans' defense is the heartbeat of this team and their route to being a Super Bowl contender further down the line this season, performances like these won't cut it against high-powered offenses like the Bills'.

Will Anderson, Danielle Hunter Get Neutralized

Jul 30, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Danielle Hunter (55) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

By extension of the Texans' defensive struggles, their elite edge rushing duo of Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter had a far different performance from what they had in 2025's Thursday Night Football showing.

Anderson had just half a sack and three total tackles, while Hunter failed to log any stats throughout the entire game. Last time these two were up against this Bills' offensive line, they combined for 4.5 sacks just by themselves.

You can naturally expect this outcome to be a rarity for the Texans' edge rushing duo this season. Not many times will both Anderson and Hunter combine for less than a single sack. However, their shortcomings on Sunday were a huge reason as to why this defense couldn't take care of business against what ended up being a powerful Buffalo offense.

Texans' Tests Won't Get Easier Moving Forward

Sep 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans looks on during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Now that the Texans are starting their season off 0-1 once again, their next few games become a whole lot more important to prevent this group from falling into a similar hole that they did at the start of 2025 when they were 0-3 after Week 3 ended.

But when looking ahead to the next three outings Houston has on tap, things won't be getting a whole lot simpler––particularly in terms of the matchups their defense will be faced with.

The Texans have the Cincinnati Bengals and another elite quarterback in Joe Burrow heading to Houston in Week 2. They will be traveling for a divisional matchup vs. the Indianapolis Colts and Jonathan Taylor in Week 3. Then, they will come back home to play the Dallas Cowboys and their potent offense the week after.

Getting to the end of that stretch at a 3-1 mark can make this Week 1 loss become a whole lot less disappointing than it feels in the moment. Yet making that a reality will be much easier said than done.

Sign up for our free Houston Texans On SI newsletter, and get breaking Texans news delivered to your inbox daily!

Add us as a preferred source on Google