The Buffalo Bills fell 23-19 to the Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football in Week 12. Josh Allen passed for 253 yards but was sacked eight times and threw two interceptions in the loss. A botched fourth-and-1 play in the fourth quarter highlighted the Bills' frustrations.
The Houston Texans defeated the Buffalo Bills 23-19 in a Thursday night matchup at NRG Stadium. Buffalo entered the game off a 44-32 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where Allen accounted for six touchdowns, but struggled against Houston's defense.
Allen completed 24 of 34 passes for 253 yards with no touchdowns and two costly interceptions, marking five picks in his last three games. He was sacked a career-high eight times, losing 70 yards, and now stands 0-4 in career games at NRG Stadium. His perfect 8-0 Thursday night record also ended.
A pivotal moment came with over 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, as the Bills trailed 23-16 at Houston's 23-yard line. On fourth-and-1, coach Sean McDermott opted to go for it, but running back James Cook was stopped for a two-yard loss after four straight carries: 20 yards to the 32, then 3, 5, and 1 yard. Cook appeared fatigued and briefly left the field before returning late to the huddle with the play call delayed.
Allen showed frustration on the sideline, sitting next to backup Mitchell Trubisky and appearing to say, 'What are we doing?' Post-game, he reflected: 'Just frustration on my part. In a situation like that, probably should have just banged a timeout. We got the play in late. Didn't give ourselves a chance there.' Allen took responsibility overall: 'I have to be better with throwing the ball away, living to see another down... Too many times, I was going backwards.'
Earlier, the Bills converted a fourth-and-1 with Allen leaping over the pile, and later pulled off a fourth-and-27 conversion. In the second quarter, Texans safety Calen Bullock intercepted an Allen pass and returned it for a would-be touchdown, but it was nullified by a blindside block penalty on defensive end Derek Barnett against Bills tight end Dawson Knox. The 15-yard penalty led to a 43-yard field goal for Houston. Barnett faces potential NFL fines, with first-offense blindside blocks at $17,389; he has four prior fines totaling $60,954.
Despite the loss, Allen avoided blaming others, focusing on improvement.