Texans’ Shocking Sack on Josh Allen Sends Bills to Narrow 23-19 Defeat – What Went Wrong?

The Texans put on a defensive clinic Sunday, bringing relentless pressure that had Josh Allen running for cover all afternoon — eight sacks, a dozen hits, two picks, and a forced fumble from Khalil Shakir that Houston pounced on. Still, this nail-biter wasn’t sealed until the waning moments, as the Texans narrowly edged out the Bills 23-19. Riding the wave of their third straight win — all without star QB C.J. Stroud — Houston’s resurgence is no fluke, improving to 6-5 while Buffalo slips to 7-4. Despite the Bills’ scrappy spirit and a last-ditch fourth-and-27 conversion, they couldn’t crack a Texans defense marshaled by Will Anderson’s 2.5 sacks and Danielle Hunter’s fierce pair. The final chapters featured Calen Bullock’s clutch interception and some standout performances between the whistles — a gritty, hard-fought showdown emblematic of classic gridiron battles. LEARN MORE

The Texans sacked Josh Allen eight times, hit him 12 times, intercepted him twice and forced and recovered a fumble by Khalil Shakir. Still, it came down to the end as the Texans held on for a 23-19 victory over the Bills.

It was Houston’s third consecutive win, with all three coming without C.J. Stroud, as the Texans climbed back to 6-5. The Bills fell to 7-4.

The Bills managed to make it a game, even though the Texans felt in control the final three quarters.

Buffalo stayed alive on fourth-and-27 with 51 seconds left on a trick play, with Joshua Palmer catching a short pass and lateraling to Khalil Shakir for a 33-yard gain to the Houston 26. Gabe Davis nearly made a miraculous catch inside the 5-yard line on the next play, but he got only one foot down in bounds.

That was as close as the Bills would get against a relentless Texans defense that saw Will Anderson get 2.5 sacks of Allen and Danielle Hunter contribute two more.

Calen Bullock made his second interception of Allen on fourth-and-6 from the Houston 22 with 18 seconds left.

Allen finished 24-of-34 for 253 yards and two interceptions. Shakir caught eight passes for 110 yards, and James Cook ran 17 times for 116 yards and a touchdown.

Mills completed 16 of 30 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns, an 8-yarder to Jayden Higgins and a 2-yarder to Christian Kirk. Nico Collins caught three passes for 55 yards, and Woody Marks ran for 74 yards on 16 carries.