HOUSTON — The Buffalo Bills had a chance at a comeback win late in a physical road game against the Houston Texans on Thursday night.
The Bills were down by four points but had the ball late. Bills quarterback Josh Allen faced a 4th and 27 with under two minutes to play and completed a pass to receiver Josh Palmer over the middle. Palmer lateraled to Khalil Shakir, who ran for 44 yards. The Bills drove all the way down to the Texans’ 17-yard line and faced another 4th down, this time with just one yard to go.
Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins jumped early and was flagged for an offensive false start, pushing Buffalo back five yards. Allen threw an interception on the next play to end the hope of a comeback. The Bills lost, 23-19, and dropped to 7-4 on the season.
Allen is now 0-4 lifetime at NRG Stadium in Houston. Shakir came alive in the second half and tried to single-handedly will the Bills’ passing attack back to life. He had eight catches for 110 yards.
Here are some other observations from the game.
**Josh Allen under siege**
The Bills’ offensive line was up against its toughest test of the season in the Houston defensive front. The Texans’ defense was as good as advertised and brought consistent pressure to Allen’s doorstep all night.
Texans edge rusher Will Anderson ran down Allen from behind in the first half and rocked the Buffalo quarterback. Allen was down in pain for a few moments before getting up and running off. He got his left arm taped on the sideline but remained in the game.
The Texans sacked Allen seven times in the game and hit him nine times. Anderson had two sacks and former Bills tackle added one. Allen’s second-quarter interception came as he tried to hit Dawson Knox with pressure bearing down. The ball tipped off Knox and into the hands of Houston safety Calen Bullock.
Pro Football Focus credited Houston with 28 pressures in its in-game grading tool. That’s an unofficial number, but if the Bills did indeed give up more than 25 pressures in the game, they drop to 0-4 this season when Allen is pressured as much as he was by Houston.
**The Taron Johnson problem**
The Bills have relied on their All-Pro nickel cornerback Taron Johnson for eight seasons to help run their preferred style. Johnson’s willingness as a run defender has allowed Sean McDermott to play him at the hybrid linebacker position, keeping a fast group on the field to defend the pass.
The issue this season has been Johnson’s concerning regression against the run. He was a liability against Texans running back Woody Marks on Thursday night. He missed one tackle on Marks after exploding into the backfield for what would have been a drive-ending play. It was 4th and 1, and Johnson hit Marks in the backfield, but he was then carried for six yards down the field.
Johnson still shows flashes of brilliance, though. He made a massive play late in the fourth quarter on a 3rd and 6 when the Bills needed to get the ball back down by four points. Johnson tackled Jayden Higgins two yards short of the first down, forcing a critical punt.
**Ray Davis provides a spark**
Davis found a way to make an impact last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a kick returner. He continued his hot streak this week by breaking a 97-yard return for a touchdown.
The return looked doomed as Davis ran into traffic around the 35-yard line, but Davis took a hit from a Texans defender and spun off into the open field. He made the kicker miss on a great cutback and ran untouched into the end zone. The Bills placed new receiver/returner Mecole Hardman on injured reserve before the game after he went down late against Tampa Bay with a calf injury. Running back Ty Johnson went back to returning kicks in his place.
**Special teams penalties**
The Bills had tremendous field position last week against the Buccaneers. Davis and Hardman were magnificent in the return game. But the Bills regressed the following week due to three penalties that backed them up on drives. The Bills had 12 possessions in the game and started at the 20-yard line or less on six of them.
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