Joe Brady's first regular-season win as Buffalo's head coach wasn't always pretty, but a win's a win.
The Bills survived a back-and-forth shootout with the Houston Texans on Sunday, escaping Reliant Stadium with a 36-31 victory that was secured when Greg Rousseau stripped C.J. Stroud with 16 seconds left.
Brady didn't flinch at Buffalo's well-documented struggles in Houston or at the way in which his team won.
"There's no such thing as an ugly win," Brady said after the game.
Josh Allen completed 20 of 29 passes for 334 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more, including the game-winning drive — a 96-yard march capped by a 34-yard strike to Josh Palmer one play after he nearly threw an interception to Kamari Lassiter on another deep shot to Palmer.
Brady went right back to the same concept.
"If we can go for the knockout punch, let's take it," the new head coach added.
He did admit he held his breath on the near-pick while making it clear his aggressive play calling isn't going anywhere.
"I don't like who I am on gameday, but I want the ball in my hands in critical moments too," Brady said, adding that it's easier to say from the sideline when he isn't the one absorbing hits from 300-pound defenders.
"It feels good to start the season off right," Allen said postgame. "Obviously, Coach Joe getting his first win as an NFL head coach takes a lot of time, a lot of effort to get into a position to be able to do that, and I'm really happy for him. He called a heck of a game."
Brady also praised Allen for his confidence in every playmaker on the field.
"It was really cool to see him put the team on his back."
With the game on the line Allen and the offense led the way to secure the winning points, and their defense closed it out, both units making big plays in big moments to get the job done.
"We were trying to limit their D-line from wrecking this game," Allen added. "When you're able to sit back in the pocket against a team like this, with two edges like this, you feel pretty good when your guys can hold up, and we did tonight."
"Sometimes, all you need is another half-second."
Dalton Kincaid played a key role in the victory with five catches for 130 yards including a 35-yarder that set up Palmer's go-ahead score.
After the game, the receiving tight end said doubting Allen is "odd," and certainly there is no doubt among his Bills's teammates who have faith in Allen and Brady.
"When we're at full strength, it's hard to beat us," Kincaid said to ESPN.
The Bills are 1-0 in the Joe Brady era, and will have another chance in a short week to improve to 2-0 when they host the Detroit Lions on Thursday night in the new Highmark Stadium's home opener.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Bills' Joe Brady on opener: 'There's no such thing as an ugly win'
