The Buffalo Bills started the season with an impressive and hard-fought NFL Week 1 victory against the Houston Texans, pulling off a tightly contested 36-31 win. Josh Allen served as a key figure in driving the performance forward, while emphasizing that he loves taking risks during games.
A significant factor was Bills’ head coach, Joe Brady, who secured the first victory of his career. Allen credited the coach for coming up with a game plan that suited the Bills’ offensive skills. “We love chunk plays,” Allen said, per Bills analyst Ajay Cybulski. “That’s how you score 36 points. You give yourself the opportunity to go score in 4 or 5 plays instead of the long, methodical 14, 15 plays.”
The quarterback had a massive day, proving essential in keeping Buffalo ahead as the Texans pushed until the very end. Allen completed 20 of 29 passes for 334 yards. Tight end Dalton Kincaid was his top receiver, catching five passes for 130 yards.
Allen’s late-game heroics and historic stats
The spectacular Allen had the ball in his hands late in the fourth quarter, throwing a go-ahead touchdown pass to Joshua Palmer with less than two minutes to play. Allen then had to wait on the sidelines while the Texans drove back down the field, hoping the Buffalo defense would get the job done.
Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills addresses the media.
This time, the Bills survived the late Houston drive, as Greg Rousseau recorded his second strip-sack of the day by bringing down Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud. Terrel Bernard recovered the loose ball, giving the Bills a thrilling triumph in the season opener.
Allen, who also rushed for two touchdowns, now has 303 career touchdowns, making him the first player in NFL history to reach 300 in his first nine seasons. He is also 20th on the all-time rushing touchdowns list, tied with Frank Gore and Otis Anderson and one behind Corey Dillon.
It marked Allen’s ninth career game with two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns, five more than any other player in NFL history, with Steve Young second at four. Since entering the league in 2018, Allen has logged 18 games in which he has rushed for two or more touchdowns.
