Texans Hold Quiet Historical Edge Heading Into Bills Matchup

Recent history seems to suggest that the Houston Texans have a slight edge against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills for their Thursday Night Football matchup coming up for Week 12.

That's due to the dominance that the Texans have held over the Bills while playing in Houston, a stage in which has been notably one-sided for the past two decades.

For the Bills, they've lost their last five games played in Houston, and have gone without a win since the 2005 season. In Josh Allen's time with Buffalo, they've gone 0-3 against the Texans.

Better yet, it's been a place that, for Buffalo, has been somewhere that scoring points has come at a struggle pretty consistently. The Bills have scored an average of 15.6 points through that five-game stretch, failing to score over 20 one time.

Texans Have Dominated Bills in Houston

Oct 6, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) attempts a pass during the third quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Now heading into Week 12, the Texans will be looking to keep that streak going in order to extend their current win streak to three games. And in the case of this dominant Houston defense, could fit the perfect mold that keeps Allen and this Bills offense limited to a slower day than usual.

The Texans are number one in the NFL for scoring defense, yards allowed per game, and EPA allowed per play, pairing together a dominant pass rush with a constricting secondary to be one of the league's most well-rounded, elite defenses that's allowed over 20 points just one time this season.

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Of course, Allen's coming off one of his best games of the year so far that could have the means to exploit them–– coming off six total touchdowns– three passing, three rushing– paired with 317 yards through the air for his second-straight 300-plus-yard game.

But based on his previous sample size playing in Houston specifically, it's been a place where he's had his ups and downs.

In the two matchups Allen's played in Houston, he's thrown for a combined 215 yards on a 40% completion percentage through the air with one touchdown, and most importantly, a 0-2 record to show for it.

That's far from ideal for Allen, but for the Texans, it bodes well for their success, if they can keep the Bills quarterback in check similarly in Houston on Thursday.

For what'll be a pivotal matchup to take advantage of, the Texans need to key in on those advantages from years past, not only to continue an impressive 20-year streak of dominance, but to rise above a .500 record for the first time this season.

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