Josh Allen Adds Extra Stakes to Texans' Week 1 Opener vs. Bills

The Houston Texans have had their way with the Buffalo Bills when they travel to Texas throughout recent history.

In fact, the Texans have won their past six games against the Bills when playing in Houston, with Buffalo's last road win coming all the way back in 2006.

That means for Bills quarterback Josh Allen, he's also had a fair share of struggles against this Texans team. Since starting under center, he's 1-4 overall against Houston, getting his only win in a bit of a cathartic 40-0 blowout win in Buffalo back in 2021.

So there's no doubt that for the Texans' Week 1 game against the Bills for what will be their official home opener in Houston, Allen will absolutely be bringing his A-game to try and re-shape that narrative. It's something he opened about in a recent episode of the Centered On Buffalo Podcast.

“In terms of looking at the schedule, I really don’t. I know that we've got Houston game one," Allen said.

"The only thing that really strikes out to me is the first game. It’s at Houston; a place that I particularly haven’t played very well at. So, I gotta do everything in my power to kinda change that narrative there.”

Texans Looking to Extend Home Success vs. Bills in Week 1

The Texans are fresh off of back-to-back seasons where they were able to take care of business against Josh Allen and Co.

Just last year, their win against Buffalo came in front of the primetime lights of Thursday Night Football, where the Texans and their ferocious defense took down Allen for a grand total of eight sacks and a 23-19 win. In 2024, C.J. Stroud outdueled Allen for over 300 yards passing and a 23-20 win.

Now, the two sides will be back at it once again to kick off each of their 2026 campaigns.

And when combining Allen's own personal woes against the Texans with a year-four Stroud coming off an offseason where he's heard more outside chatter than ever, both sides will be eager to prove themselves and start off the year with a clean 1-0 slate.

Nov 20, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) signals at the line of scrimmage during the second half against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

It certainly won't be a walk in the park for either, though.

For the Texans, Allen's still an MVP-level talent, even after getting on the other side of 30 years old. He's fresh off a season in Buffalo where he posted a career-high in completion percentage (69.3%), and with new offensive-minded head coach Joe Brady, perhaps there's room to add another layer of dynamic playmaking to his game in 2026.

But for the Bills, they'll be up against an even stronger Texans defense than what they were faced with in 2025.

Their secondary will be stronger with the addition of Reed Blankenship in free agency, Kayden McDonald to bring more pressure on the interior, and with a rocking Reliant Stadium behind them, that difficulty could be turned up even higher.

It sets the stage for what should be an electric Week 1 for both the Bills and the Texans, and perhaps a bit of a strong tone-setter for whoever comes out with the victory.

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