The Houston Texans took care of business on a short week at home over the Buffalo Bills to piece together a quality 23-19 victory on Thursday Night Football, raising to a 6-5 record on the regular season.
The Texans defense was outstanding. The Buffalo offense couldn't find a spark in the second half, and in turn, it led to the Texans taking advantage in a big way for what might be their biggest win of the season yet, and continues the franchise's long-spanning streak of now six-straight victories over the Bills in Houston.
Here's seven takeaways from the Texans' critical Week 12 victory vs. the Bills.
Nov 20, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) sacks Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh A
Nov 20, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) sacks Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) in the first half at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
What a performance it was for the Texans defense.
Houston has had their strong weeks of production defensively through the first 11 weeks of this season, but this time vs. Buffalo was their best one yet. In all, the Texans piled up a season-high eight sacks on reigning MVP Josh Allen for 70 total yards, making for a long and grueling day for the Bills and their star quarterback.
Will Anderson had 2.5 for himself, Danielle Hunter had two to officially take him over the double-digit sack mark on the year, and a handful of others got involved as well to make for a truly dominant day defensively for Houston, and more specifically, their pass rush.
Texans EDGE Will Anderson Jr. against the Bills:
6 tackles
2.5 sacks
2 TFLs
1 almost-INTpic.twitter.com/xZ2m3VcozV
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) November 21, 2025
If they can keep up their similar defensive prowess going deeper into this season, this stout Texans' defense will be a nightmare for any quarterback and their offensive line.
Nov 20, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills (10) celebrates after a touchdown against the Buffa
Nov 20, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills (10) celebrates after a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills in the second quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
The Texans and Bills were looking on track to pick up some steam scoring-wise at the end of the first half once the two sides entered the break with Houston leading 20-16. But that momentum only came to a halt once the second half kicked off, with both teams combining for just six points total through two quarters, with nearly half of their drives ending in a three-and-out.
It wasn't pretty, and overall, turned out to be a grind-it-out win for the Texans down the stretch. However, that script bodes well for their elite, well-rounded defense that stepped up to the occasion in a big way, silencing a Buffalo offense that's proven to be a consistent and potent unit when firing on all cylinders.
Nov 20, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back Woody Marks (27) runs against the Buffalo Bills in the first q
Nov 20, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back Woody Marks (27) runs against the Buffalo Bills in the first quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
It was another week that rookie Woody Marks was tasked with taking a bulk of the carries in the Texans' running back room, and with that opportunity, he made sure to put together a significant impact against this porous Bills run defense.
Marks has 74 total yards on the ground on 16 carries for 4.6 yards per attempt, keeping the Texans' offense balanced in a much-better performance than he had shown last weekend, especially in the first half when the offensive attack wasn't so restricted.
The Texans will continue to lean on Marks getting deeper into the season. In this outing, he understood the assignment quite well.
Nov 20, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) looks on before the game against the Buffalo Bi
Nov 20, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) looks on before the game against the Buffalo Bills at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Sure, Davis Mills' coming way with a victory in this one lifts him to an impressive 3-0 as a starter, and brings Houston to an appealing 6-5 on the year. However, the offensive performance proved that it's time for C.J. Stroud to come back and breathe some life into this Texans offense.
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Mills was missing a bundle of simple throws in the first half that stalled the passing game more than it should've been, and the second half turned out to be a real struggle for the Texans to get points on the board. Mills threw for just over five yards per completion, and barely completed over 50% of his passes.
Again, he came away with the victory, but the wins might look a lot cleaner moving forward once Houston's starting quarterback is back in action.
Nov 20, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk (13) against Buffalo Bills safety Cole Bishop
Nov 20, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk (13) against Buffalo Bills safety Cole Bishop (24) in the second quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
One Texans wide receiver who made good work of their opportunities was veteran slot man Christian Kirk, who wound up having one of his best performances of the season on the primetime stage against Buffalo.
Kirk finished with a team-high five receptions on six targets for 54 yards and a touchdown, being a nice playmaking spark in Mills' arsenal. He overtook rookie Jaylin Noel once again for the majority of snaps in the slot, but in the process, made a nice dent offensively to help the Texans get over the edge.
There goes Christian Kirk for 33 yards!
BUFvsHOU on Prime Video
Also streaming on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/f8h5FRv5WG
— NFL (@NFL) November 21, 2025
Kirk's availability this season has been spotty, but being fully healthy for this one, he found his way to being a valued presence on the offensive side of the ball and could be the necessary spark to carve out a more consistent role for the second half of this year.
Aug 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley stands on the field before the game agains
Aug 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley stands on the field before the game against the Carolina Panthers at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
The Texans and their offense took care of business against Buffalo for a winning effort, but it wouldn't be without their typical struggles in third down situations.
The Texans finished going 2-12 on third down throughout the night and 1-6 in the second half, continuing their trend of being one of the worst teams in the NFL on third down, but saw that effectiveness tank even lower than their season average.
Of course, having Mills at the helm instead of Stroud makes the task a bit tougher offensively to keep the chains moving, but to continue stacking wins deeper into the year, the Texans will have to find a way to sustain drives more consistently.
Nov 2, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans during the first half against the Denver Broncos at
Nov 2, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans during the first half against the Denver Broncos at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
That's win number three in a row for the Texans, which now brings them over .500 for the first time this season after having previously started the year off 0-3. Now the playoff picture conversations can begin to get rolling after their year had once looked dead in the water.
They've got seven games to go on the horizon and an extra long break in between their next game that projects to be a critical one against their division rival, the Indianapolis Colts. The job certainly isn't finished, and it'll only get tougher from here, but this win might've been the most important of the season for Houston from a big-picture perspective.
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