Week 1: Joe Brady's Bills Debut in Houston Rematch
The Buffalo Bills open at the Houston Texans on Sunday, September 13, in Joe Brady's first game as head coach after replacing Sean McDermott. Josh Allen is healthy after offseason foot surgery and gets DJ Moore, acquired from Chicago, though Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman both carried injury tags this week. Houston beat Buffalo 23-19 last November with Davis Mills filling in for a concussed C.J. Stroud, but opens this year without receiver Jayden Higgins (torn ACL), right tackle Braden Smith (foot, IR) and linebacker E.J. Speed (torn quad).
Brady's first game with Allen
Buffalo also changed defensive coordinators, with Jim Leonhard switching the base front to a 3-4 and Bradley Chubb arriving from Miami.
Houston's offense lost pieces in August
Higgins for the season and Smith for at least a month thin out a Texans attack that had already traded for David Montgomery to fix the run game.
Stroud's turn in the rematch
Stroud missed last year's win over Buffalo. Sportsbooks have this game near a pick'em.
AI Prediction
Bills
Texans Allen against a Houston defense missing Speed
Buffalo's offense with Allen, Moore and James Cook has more proven production than a Texans unit that just lost its right tackle and a starting receiver.
Houston's defense at home keeps it tight
DeMeco Ryans' front held Buffalo to 19 points last year, and NRG Stadium is a loud building for a new coach's first road game.
Two teams breaking in new schemes
Buffalo has a new head coach and defensive scheme, and Houston has an overhauled offensive line, which makes the early-season form hard to read.
A narrow lean on Allen and Houston's late-August injuries. The books have this as a coin flip and the model mostly agrees.
Texans Leaders
Bills Leaders
Venue
Closing Line
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Texans Injuries