The Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans game in Week 1 is reasonably star-studded with Josh Allen, Will Anderson, Danielle Hunter, and DJ Moore, but this game just might hinge on some of the role-players for each club.
These are my Bills X-factors for this showdown in Houston.
3. Joshua Palmer
The Texans allowed a 20-plus yard play on 8.4% of opposing quarterback drop backs in 2025, which isn’t exactly an indicator of a unit susceptible to big plays through the air. However, that was just the 12th-lowest in football,
a relative far cry from Houston’s defense essentially ranking in the Top 5 in every other category last season.
And Palmer was signed by the Bills to be a man-beating vertical threat, as he was in Los Angeles with the Chargers in his first four NFL seasons. In an injury-riddled first year in Buffalo, three of Palmer’s 22 receptions came on throws 20-plus yards downfield. During Palmer’s last season with the Chargers, eight of his 39 receptions were on deep targets.
Palmer played against the Texans a season ago, but was clearly not himself after returning from the serious lower-body injury he suffered on a hip-drop tackle in Week 6 against the Falcons. It was his second game back after more than a month-long absence. He caught two passes for 21 yards, and frankly, never regained his vertical juice post-injury in 2025.
A healthy Palmer could be low-key vital for the Bills in this game, even if he’s found downfield once or twice — maybe off play-action? — from Josh Allen, because chunk plays are especially key against the Texans.
2. Terrel Bernard
What Bernard are the Bills getting for this game? When healthy, he’s one of the better splash-play creating linebackers in football — particularly in coverage. Remember that second-half interception of C.J. Stroud in 2024? Vintage Bernard. Since the start of 2023, Bernard has six interceptions, 11 pass breakups, 7.5 sacks, and 22 tackles for loss in just 42 games. That’s filling the stat sheet.
But the uncertainty with Bernard resides with his health. Is he 100%? Close to it? Bernard labored through another injury this summer, albeit minor, yet was not on Wednesday’s injury report.
And now he’s playing in a scheme conducive to free-roaming linebackers due to the two-gapping in front of him from most — not all — of Buffalo’s defensive linemen. At his size, quite naturally, Bernard has struggled when enormous blockers can freely get to the second level. But with his speed, he can fly to the football.
Bernard has proven to be consistently impactful on the Bills defense, when he’s healthy. And we’ll get a first glimpse of just how healthy he is and how well he fits in this new scheme on Sunday.
1. Christian Benford
Bills fans are (rightfully) quick to mention Benford does not get enough national publicity… yet all offseason the cornerback No. 2 spot was all everyone wanted to talk about around Western New York.
In this game, Buffalo’s No. 1 cornerback will see the towering, long-striding, deceptively physical Nico Collins on the outside. In last year’s clash with Collins, Benford allowed two catches for 43 yards against Collins. Fine work from Benford. While he didn’t shadow the veteran on every route, and it wasn’t a high-volume, game-altering receiving performance, Collins did only run 24 routes in the game, so it was a rather efficient showing.
While see how much “keep it in front of us” coverage Jim Leonhard utilizes in this game — I have a feeling it will be less than the Sean McDermott defenses. Keeping Collins from going off, to force Stroud and Co. into longer, more methodical drives, which thereby increase the likelihood of Houston mistakes Buffalo’s defense can capitalize on, will be enormous in this game. Especially with everyone expecting it to be low scoring.
Who are your X-factors for the Bills in this game?
