ORCHARD PARK - As part of a five-game gauntlet to start the 2026 season, the Buffalo Bills could not have drawn a more difficult Week 1 matchup, at least based on their recent history, than a trip to Houston’s NRG Stadium to play the Texans.
To put it mildly, the place has been a house of horrors, holistically for Buffalo and specifically for its superstar quarterback Josh Allen.
“They're really good. I could talk for hours,” president/GM Brandon Beane said of DeMeco Ryans’ team. “No matter how our game goes, whether we win or lose, they're going to be one of those teams that I would expect you're going to see in the contenders lane most, if not all the season. They're a roster you look at and go, ‘That looks like a championship roster,’ if I'm
studying all the names that they have.
“So yeah, that's gonna be a tough test, and it's exciting. That's what you want. This sport is not for the faint of heart. Our guys will be excited about that opportunity to go there and face such a formidable opponent.”
The first time Allen played there as a rookie in 2018 he banged his hand on a helmet while throwing a pass amid pressure and left that game and missed the next three, the only games he has missed in his NFL career.
In the 2019 playoffs, it was the height of what we used to refer to as “Sugar High Josh” as he played haphazardly in the second half of a wild-card game and the Bills blew a 16-0 third-quarter lead and lost in overtime 22-19 to a Houston team quarterbacked by Deshaun Watson.
Allen played arguably one of the worst games of his career in a 2024 visit - 9 of 30 for 131 yards - and lost 23-20. And then last season, he completed 24 of 34 for 253 yards but threw two interceptions and was sacked a career-high eight timesin a 23-19 loss.
As a team, the Bills won the first two games they played at NRG Stadium which was built for the expansion Texans in 2002, but since their 24-21 victory in 2006, they have lost their last six there.
Buffalo Bills key to victory
The only way the Bills can slow down the ferocious Texans’ pass rush, one that has tormented Allen and Buffalo’s offensive line, is to get James Cook going in the run game. The Bills actually did that last year in their 23-19 loss as Cook ran for 116 yards on just 17 carries which included a 45-yard touchdown run. But 75 of those yards came in the first half, and in the second half the Bills had six possessions and scored just three points while turning the ball over twice.
Houston Texans key to victory
The Bills have changed their defensive scheme under new coordinator Jim Leonhard, and while they have several veterans who have made the transition pretty seamlessly, there is still some newness to it all and it would not be a surprise if there are communication or assignment breakdowns in these early weeks of the season. Texans QB CJ Stroud needs to test Buffalo CB Max Hairston, and if he plays, rookie CB Davison Igbinosun, with his talented set of receivers featuring Nico Collins, newly-acquired Kayshon Boutte, and Jaylin Noel.
Bills vs Texans matchup to watch
DJ Moore is making his Bills’ debut and he’ll be jumping right into the fire because no matter where he lines up, he’s going to be challenged by Texans boundary CBs Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter and nickel CB Jalen Pitre. That’s one of the best CB threesomes in the NFL, and they are backed up with a pair of very good safeties in Callen Bullock and free agent signee Reed Blankenship. Moore is the Bills’ No. 1 receiver, but he’s going to have a hard time living up to that status, especially if the dynamic pass rush affects Allen.
Who wins? Texans 24, Bills 20
This is a tough opening assignment for the Bills and it’s difficult to envision a victory given their ugly recent past in Houston. Yes, it’s a new season and nothing that happened in the past should matter, but one thing that hasn’t changed is Houston may have the best defense in the NFL. Until the Bills can prove they can handle that, on the road in NRG Stadium, the Texans are the pick to spoil Joe Brady’s debut.
What time does the Buffalo Bills vs Houston Texans game start?
∎ Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at NRG Stadium.
Who is favored to win Bills vs Texans?
∎ The Bills have opened as a 1.5-point underdog for the game. The money line is Bills minus-108 (bet $100 to win $108) and Texans minus-108 (bet $100 to win $108). The over-under is 44.5.
What channel is Buffalo Bills vs Houston Texans game?
∎ Cable/Network TV: CBS. The game will be available locally via the following stations: WROC channel 8 (Rochester area), WIVB channel 4 (Buffalo area), WTVH channel 5 (Syracuse area), WKTV channel 2 (Utica area), WENY channel 36 (Elmira area), WRGB channel 6 (Albany area), and WBNG channel 12 (Binghamton area).
How can you stream Buffalo Bills vs Houston Texans game?
∎ Online streaming services: You can watch games on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and you can subscribe to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, though you can’t cast the games to your TV - you must watch on your phone or tablet.
∎ TV streaming: You can also stream games if you have subscriptions to Spectrum, DirecTV Choice, Fubo Sports, Sling, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTubeTV + NFL Sunday Ticket, and Paramount+.
On the radio: How to listen to the Bills vs Texans game
You can listen on SiriusXM satellite radio on channel 225 (Bills feed) and channel 380 (Texans feed), and on traditional radio, the Bills Radio Network has stations all across the state. Chris Brown has the play-by-play, Eric Wood is the analyst, and Steve Tasker is the sideline reporter. The network includes:
- Rochester (WAIO 95.1 FM);
- Buffalo (WGRF 96.9 FM);
- Syracuse (WSKO 1260 AM);
- Albany (WOFX 92.5 FM);
- Utica (WKLL 94.9 FM);
- Dunkirk (WDOE 1410 AM);
- Hornell (WKPQ 105.3 FM);
- Elmira (WMTT 94.7 FM);
- Jamestown (WWSE 93.3 FM);
- Olean (WPIG 95.7 FM);
- Ogdensburg (WQTK 92.7 FM);
- Watertown (WOTT 94.1 FM);
- Bradford, Pa. (WBRR 100.1 FM);
- Cortland/Ithaca (WIII 99.9 FM);
- Auburn (WAUB 1590 AM);
- Geneva (WGVA 1240 AM);
- Binghamton (WENE 1430 AM);
- Newark (WACK 1420 AM);
- Cobleskill/Schoharie (WSDE 1190 AM);
- Williamsport, PA (WRAK 1400 AM);
- Erie, Pa. (WRKT 104.9 FM);
- New York City (WEPN 1050 AM);
- West Palm Beach, Fla. (WESP 106.3 FM);
- Montreal, Canada (CKGM 690 AM);
- Ottawa, Canada (CFGO 1200 AM);
- Toronto, Canada (CHUM 1050 AM).
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 37 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, he has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills open 2026 season in a place that has troubled Josh Allen
