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NFL Thursday Night Football preview: Josh Allen tries to carry the Bills over the Texans
Before the season kicked off, the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans were the darlings of their respective divisions, projected to dominate with the kind of force that makes preseason pundits look like geniuses. Reality, however, has a funny way of intervening in the NFL's meticulously laid plans.The Texans, sitting at a middling 5-5, find themselves in third place in the AFC South, a sobering three games behind the surprising Indianapolis Colts. Meanwhile, the 7-3 Bills, while far from disappointing, are looking up at the New England Patriots in the AFC East, trailing by a game-and-a-half in a race that feels tighter with every passing Sunday.For Buffalo, the path to a division title remains viable, but the margin for error has evaporated; a loss here would be a critical misstep in a conference where every win is a precious commodity. The silver lining for the Bills is that they won't be facing Houston at full strength, as quarterback C.J. Stroud remains sidelined with a concussion, thrusting Davis Mills into the starting role for a second consecutive week.Mills’ performance last week was a study in competent relief—274 yards and a touchdown in a nail-biting, last-second field goal victory over the league-worst Tennessee Titans—but facing a Bills squad led by the reigning NFL MVP is an entirely different proposition. And what an MVP Josh Allen has been.Coming off a performance for the ages, Allen accounted for a staggering six touchdowns last week—three through the air and three on the ground—joining the legendary Otto Graham (1954) as one of only three players in the entire history of the league to achieve such a feat. His combination of elusiveness and raw power makes him a nightmare for defensive coordinators, a point that will be tested directly by the Texans' formidable defensive end duo of Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson.This pair has combined for 17 sacks this season, spearheading a Texans defense that, statistically, is the best in the NFL, leading the league in both yards and points allowed while sitting atop advanced metrics like EPA per play. The chess match between Allen's improvisational genius and the relentless pass rush of Hunter and Anderson will likely dictate the tempo and ultimate outcome of this crucial Thursday night showdown.Yet, for all of Allen's heroics, the Bills are not without their flaws. The supporting cast in the passing game lacks consistent, game-breaking firepower, and the defense has been surprisingly porous, ranking 22nd in DVOA and 19th in EPA allowed per play—a far cry from the unit that harbored Super Bowl aspirations just a few months ago.This game carries immense weight for both franchises, but the stakes feel disproportionately higher for the Texans. For Buffalo, a loss complicates their divisional chase but doesn't necessarily derail their playoff hopes, as a wild-card berth remains a strong possibility.For Houston, however, this is about survival. A win over a heavyweight like Buffalo, especially as a home underdog, would inject life into their fading playoff hopes and announce their resilience.The betting markets have spoken loudly, with the line ballooning from Bills -2. 5 to -6 in anticipation of Stroud's absence, and the public is predictably hammering Buffalo.But as any student of football analytics knows, games are not won on paper. This contest will be decided in the trenches, on the sidelines with strategic adjustments, and in the pivotal moments where Josh Allen's historic talent meets the Texans' defensive wall. It’s a classic clash of offensive dynamism versus defensive discipline, and in the high-stakes crucible of a prime-time game, it’s the kind of matchup that separates playoff contenders from mere pretenders.
#NFL
#Thursday Night Football
#Buffalo Bills
#Houston Texans
#Josh Allen
#playoff race
#featured
