Who would have thought that the Houston Texans' offense would be the story for all the right reasons?
And the Texans' defense would be it for all the wrong ones.
Behind an MVP performance from Josh Allen, the Buffalo Bills rattled off 36 points en route to their first win over the Texans at Reliant Stadium since 2006. Allen, who threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Palmer with 1:36 remaining, also threw another touchdown pass to D.J. Moore in the third quarter and scored twice with his legs in the second and third quarters.
Houston, which featured the No. 1 defense a season ago, only recorded two sacks and four tackles for loss. Last season, the Texans rattled Allen, forcing three turnovers, with eight sacks to set the tone in a 23-19 win.
But even after giving up over 400 yards of offense, the defense nearly ended the game with over 90 seconds left. Right before the touchdown pass to Palmer, Allen was nearly intercepted by Pro Bowl cornerback Kamari Lassiter, who got his hands on a pass from Allen in the end zone but couldn't complete the interception.
A play later, the Bills secured the lead to call it a day.
Here's our report card for the Texans from Week 1's performance at home.
Quarterback: B-
Entering the week, it was reported that C.J. Stroud would be betting on himself in 2026 and would enter the year without a contract extension. Knowing a deal in place wasn't good enough for either side, there was added pressure for Stroud to deliver and prove he'd be worth top dollar entering a make-or-break season as a potential top 10 option in the leauge.
Overall, the former No. 2 pick was competent. He finished 26-of-38 for 274 yards and two touchdowns and had the offense inside the red zone four times. He kept the Texans in the game, even after the defense gave up multiple explosive plays.
The reason we can't go higher is because of the turnovers. Even though the offensive line broke at the worst time possible, Stroud had two fumbles. And he'll be the first to take ownership for his mistakes since even though it was on the offensive line, every quarterback has to hang onto the ball.
It wasn't a terrible day for Stroud. It also wasn't a great one. It was more of the same that Texans fans have grown accustomed to seeing from him after three seasons.
Running back: A-
When the Texans traded for running back David Montgomery in the offseason, it was clear the plan was to upgrade the run game for Nick Caley's offense. Four quarters into the new season and it looks like Montgomery seems to be the right option as a lead back following a three-touchdown day, including two on the ground.
A 3.0 yards per play total won't impress anyone, but Montgomery was a bruiser. He fought through contact and picked up eight first downs. He also was exceptional in pass protection and out of the backfield as a recieving threat, hauling in three passes.
Woody Marks also looked promising with 42 yards on nine carries. He too picked up a crucial fourth-down conversion that helped set up a scoring drive in the second quarter.
If you start grading the running back room, it's underwhelming. Watching it in person? That's where fans can sense a different with the ground game.
Wide receivers: B-
There were a couple of good moments for the Texans' passing game, but outside of a throw or two to names not Nico Collins, it was a quiet day for the offense. Collins led all receivers with 75 yards on seven catches and hauled in a touchdown reception just before the end of the first half. Jaylin Noel was left open twice to help him finish with two explosive receptions.
Kayshon Boutte, Jared Wayne and Xavier Hutchinson were mostly quiet outside of a grab or two. Combined, the trio was targeted nine times and collected five passes for 61 yards, 21 of which came on a pass to Boutte in the fourth quarter.
Tight ends - C
Pretty much everything mentioned above could go double for the tight ends, though Dalton Schultz had one drop on second down. He finished third in receiving yards with 35, but second in receptions with five on eight targets. The big difference is that names like Marlin Klein and Foster Moreau were barely targeted, combining for three targets, three catches and 31 yards.
Schultz remains a security blanket for Stroud, but the security on some passes were exceptionally weak.
Offensive line: C+
Overall, the offensive line was fine. They did their job in pass protection to give Stroud enough time in the pocket for completions downfield. Even entering the fourth quarter, Houston's offensive line only allowed one sack and two tackles for loss all afternoon.
Then came the final drive, which is why we had to bump down the grade from a B to a C+. The Texans gave up two sacks and two tackles for loss, four costly mistakes that led to the eventual turnover to seal the game. And the penalty on Trent Brown didn't help, either.
It was a better performance than expected. That doesn't mean it was great.
Defense: D
All offseason, fans praised the Texans' defense as the best unit in the NFL. Pundits across the league found oly positive things to say about the return of nine starters and the arrivals of difference-makers like Jadeveon Clowney, Reed Blankenship and rookie Kayden McDonald.
And then Josh Allen happened and humbled everyone entering Week 2.
There was some good. Clowney recorded the first sack of the regular season for a loss of eight. Sheldon Rankins hit Allen’s hand to force a fourth down in the red zone while Danielle Hunter came up big on a third-down stop.
But outside of that, it was rocky. Kamari Lassiter gave u the game-winning touchdown pass after having the game-sealing pick on the play before. He also had a pass interference called on him before halftime, resulting in Buffalo taking the ball at the 1-yard line and eventually running it in.
Blankenship got cooked. Derek Stingley Jr. got stung. Azeez Al-Shaair missed Allen in coverage for a 21-yard touchdown and the once-feared defense that was only expected to give up 20 points or fewer in a game allowed over 400 yards and 36 points.
This was the most uncharacteristic of a Ryans' defense in franchise history. I don't think anyone can even argue it.
Special teams: B
There's not much to say. Ka’imi Fairbairn drilled a 58-yard field goal to give Houston a 1-point lead in the fourth quarter, but that was the most action he saw all day. Punter Kai Kroeger had two punts inside the 5-yard line. What else is there to say, right?
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans report card: Grading Houston's loss to the Bills in Week 1
