No one would have ever assumed that the Houston Texans' defense would be the reason for a Week 1 loss, right?
Well, there's a first time for everything.
Behind a 400-plus-yard offensive performance
, including four touchdowns fromMVP Josh Allen, the Buffalo Bills picked up their first road win against the Houston Texans since 2006 in a 36-31 fashion. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud fumbled twice, including on the final drive, to seal a win for Joe Brady in his first career start as a head coach.“We had multiple opportunities to make plays, had chances to make plays on the football and we didn’t make plays,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said.
This was a game where the Texans' defense didn't deliver. They allowed far too many explosive plays downfield
to tight end Dalton Kincaid and newcomer wide receiver D.J. Moore. Both finished with at least five catches and over 100 yards. Meanwhile, the pass-rush, which had dominated this game over the past two years, was underwhelming.
Houston only finished with two sacks and four tackles for loss. Kamari Lassiter also dropped an interception on second down that would have sealed the game. On the next play, Allen went after the Pro Bowl cornerback again, this time connecting with Josh Palmer for a 34-yard touchdown.
There were plenty of good and bad performances in this loss. Here are the top five best and worst performers on Texans' defense for Week 1, according to Pro Football Focus:
Top 5 Defensive Players
- DE Danielle Hunter - 79.3
- DE Will Anderson Jr. - 76.1
- DB Jalen Pitre - 76.0
- DL Sheldon Rankins - 75.8
- SAF Calen Bullock - 69.0
There's really not much to say here. Bullock missed a coverage assignment, which resulted in a touchdown reception to Palmer. Pitre was fine defending the run, but he also allowed Kincaid to win a battle in coverage for a pickup of 24.
The pass rush got after Allen, but it couldn't deliver the crush blow at the final whistle.
Bottom 5 Defensive Players
- DB Reed Blankenship - 41.1
- CB Kamari Lassiter - 42.1
- DL Logan Hall - 52.1
- DL Mario Edwards Jr. - 54.2
- CB Derek Stingley Jr. - 57.0
When you give up over 300 yards to Josh Allen and seven explosive plays, you're making the list. Blankenship wiffed on a tackle against D.J. Moore, which resulted in a 43-yard touchdown. He also missed on three other tackles for first downs.
Lassiter is the biggest loser of the day, however. After two Pro Bowl-caliber years, he was destined for a breakout campaign. Instead, he was flagged for pass interference in the end zone against Moore, which placed Buffalo at the 1-yard line to set up an Allen touchdown run. Then, of course, there was the final drive, which basically was two plays of triumph and tragedy back-to-back in a span of 40 seconds.
Top 5 Other Notables
- DE Jadeveon Clowney - 67.1
- LB Azeez Al-Shaair - 61.0
- Henry To'oTo'o - 59.3
- DL Tommy Togiai - 57.1
- DB Kamari Ramsey - 60.7
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans PFF grades: Best, worst defensive performers in Week 1 loss to Bills
