Back to the drawing board.
After a resurgent performance during a win this past Sunday, the Buffalo Bills suffered a significant setback in the form of a 23-19 Week 12 loss at the hands of the Houston Texans to fall to 7-4 on the year.
Texans backup quarterback Davis Mills, along with the ferocious Houston (6-5) defense, powered the upset victory, while the Bills failed to show up on either side of the ball en route to their third road defeat of the season. Josh Allen was under duress throughout the evening, which led to a disjointed, turnover-plagued performance from the Buffalo offense, while missed tackles, penalties, and injuries sank the defense.
The roller coaster ride continues, as Buffalo has fallen even further behind in the AFC East race before its top competition, the New England Patriots (9-2), has taken the field this week. The Bills will now enter a long week of reflection, but first, let’s take a look at what went down in Houston on Thursday night.
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Josh Allen
Nov 20, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) throws a pass against Houston Texans defensive end Denico Autry (96) in the second quarter at NRG Stadium. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Through Mills’ first 28 career starts, the Texans averaged just 17.5 points per game, but on Thursday night, Houston recorded 20 first-half points to help them take a four-point advantage into the second half.
The Bills’ first-half effort was abysmal, as they allowed Mills to absorb a putrid first quarter to finish the half with 122 yards passing and a touchdown, equating to a passer rating of 101.7. The Texans’ backup began the game 1 of 8 passing for 10 yards during the first quarter, but during the second quarter, he exploded for 112 yards on 10 of 13 passing, including a couple of touchdowns.
Mills was at his best during the Texans’ final drive of the first half, inside the two-minute warning, in which he was 5 of 6 passing for 75 yards, finishing with an eight-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jayden Higgins.
As bad as the Bills were in defending against the pass, they were just as bad in defending against the run to start the game. On Houston’s first scoring drive that resulted in a 24-yard field goal from Ka’imi Fairbarn, the Texans' running game ripped off five carries for 44 yards, an average of 8.8 yards per carry, en route to the end zone.
Missed tackles proved to be a significant issue for the Bills throughout the evening, as did penalties. On the Texans’ first touchdown drive of the game, rookie defensive tackle Deone Walker was hit with a face mask penalty, while nickel cornerback Taron Johnson was called for illegal contact. Both infractions factored heavily into the Houston touchdown.
At the end of the day, the Bills’ defense came up with a number of stops that helped keep the offense in the game. Houston finished just two of 12 on third down and finished the game with just 261 total yards, an average of 4.7 yards per play. But a rough second quarter defensively began a downward spiral that Buffalo failed to recover from.
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Davis Mills
Nov 20, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills (10) looks to pass against the Buffalo Bills in the first quarter at NRG Stadium. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
The Bills began the game red-hot, parlaying a defensive stop on the Texans’ opening drive into a smooth opening possession of their own. Buffalo used 10 plays and 4 minutes 44 seconds of game time to speed 81 yards down the field for an opening-drive touchdown, a 45-yard scamper from running back James Cook. But after that, points came at a premium for the Bills’ attack.
On their next three possessions following the opening-drive score, the Bills went punt, field goal, interception, the first of two turnovers on the day for the Buffalo offense. The Bills benefitted from a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Ray Davis to give them a boost entering halftime, but after that, there wasn’t much to write home about.
Coming out of halftime, Buffalo went punt, punt, fumble, turnover on downs on its first four drives of the second half, but somehow remained within seven points when they took over following a Texans’ punt with 9 minutes 9 seconds to play.
Despite being given chance after chance to seize control of the game, the Bills once again failed to take control, sputtering down the stretch of the contest and ultimately fell as a result. Buffalo was held to just three points during the second half.
A significant factor in the Bills’ inability to move the ball consistently against an impressive Texans’ defense was the failure of the Buffalo offensive line to keep quarterback Josh Allen clean in the pocket. Allen was sacked a career-high eight times on Thursday night, as the Bills’ trench unit put forth its worst performance of the season.
Allen finished the game 24 of 34 passing for 253 yards, but was held without a touchdown for the second time this season and first since a Week 2 win over the New York Jets. The Bills recorded just 326 yards of total offense, which is their second-lowest yardage total of the season.
A week after Buffalo’s passing game appeared to find solutions with a new-look wide receiver group, things didn’t work out as swimmingly in Week 13. Gabe Davis finished with just one reception for 22 yards, while Tyrell Shavers was not targeted after a career-best performance in last week’s win over the Buccaneers. Keon Coleman was a healthy inactive for the second straight game.
The Bills’ running game found success, with running back James Cook finishing with 116 yards rushing and a touchdown on 17 carries, which put him over 1,000 yards for the season, his third straight year with 1,000 yards or more. He is just the third Bills RB to accomplish that feat, joining Thurman Thomas and O.J. Simpson.
Buffalo also used its running backs well in the passing game, with Ty Johnson finishing with two receptions for 36 yards, including a long reception of 23 yards, and James Cook recording three catches for 13 yards. So, it wasn’t all bad.
But when push came to shove, the Bills’ passing game failed to do enough to propel this team to a victory. Same old song and dance.
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Josh Allen
Nov 20, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) dives for a first down against the Houston Texans in the first quarter at NRG Stadium. / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
Along with Walker and Johnson’s penalties on Houston’s first TD drive of the game, Buffalo also struggled with remaining disciplined on special teams. Jordan Hancock was called for holding on the Texans’ first punt of the game, then later, Jackson Hawes was called for holding on Houston’s first kickoff after the 24-yard FG from Fairbairn. During the second half, Cam Lewis was called for holding on a Texans’ punt.
Buffalo finished the game with five penalties for 49 yards, which doesn’t seem significant. But the timing of each infraction hurt the Bills in this one, including a false start foul committed by left tackle Dion Dawkins on Buffalo’s final drive of the game, turning a fourth-and-1 into a fourth-and-6, ultimately leading to Allen’s second interception, which ended the game.
As the weeks go by, it’s beginning to get ridiculous with all of the injuries the Bills have sustained this season, with most of them being suffered by key players.
On Thursday, it was linebacker Terrel Bernard, rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston and offensive lineman Spencer Brown as the latest players to be lost due to various ailments.
Bernard went out with a right arm injury and later returned to the Bills’ sideline in a sling, while Hairston went to the blue medical tent on the Bills’ sideline before heading to the Buffalo locker room with what appeared to be a head injury. Later, Brown was removed from the game before the Bills’ final drive with what appeared to be a right arm injury.
There were several other players who suffered bumps and bruises throughout the course of the game, and we will have to wait until next week to determine which players will wind up on the mend moving forward. But it was not a good day for the Bills injury-wise.
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Allen was intercepted twice by Calen Bullock, with the second coming with 24 seconds remaining, which sealed the deal. Wide receiver Khalil Shakir also lost a fumble, which was also forced by Bullock, pushing the Bills’ turnover total to nine in their last three games.
The Bills also failed to produce a single takeaway defensively against Mills. One of the most turnover-efficient teams in the league a season ago has been significantly inefficient in that area this season. Buffalo’s turnover differential is now at -2 for the season.
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