The Buffalo Bills have been on a true rollercoaster this season. After dominantly beating the Kansas City Chiefs, they lost a brutal game to the Miami Dolphins before recovering with a beatdown of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Week to week, it has been impossible to predict which version of this team is going to show up.
That has unfortunately led to the New England Patriots surpassing them for the first time in the Josh Allen era. Facing the Houston Texans without C.J. Stroud in Week 12, it offers a chance for Buffalo to string together a quality couple of weeks and get back in the hunt for the top spot in the AFC East. However, the Bills aren’t fully healthy themselves, and it remains to be seen who ends up on the final injury report for both squads.
Inactive List for Bills and Texans
Buffalo Bills
- WR Keon Coleman
- WR Curtis Samuel
- TE Dalton Kincaid
- OT Chase Lundt
- DT Phidarian Mathis
- CB Ja’Marcus Ingram
Houston Texans
- LB Jamal Hill
- DB Jalen Pitre
- QB C.J. Stroud
- WR Braxton Berrios
- LB Damone Clark
- T Jarrett Kingston
- G Laken Tomlinson
Starters for Bills vs. Texans
Buffalo Bills
Offense:
- QB Josh Allen
- RB James Cook III
- WR Khalil Shakir
- WR Joshua Palmer
- TE Dawson Knox
- FB Reggie Gilliam
- LT Dion Dawkins
- LG David Edwards
- C Connor McGovern
- RG O’Cyrus Torrence
- RT Spencer Brown
Defense:
- LDE Greg Rousseau
- RDT Jordan Phillips
- LDT DaQuan Jones
- RDE Joey Bosa
- SLB Matt Milano
- MLB Terrel Bernard
- WLB Shaq Thompson
- RCB Tre’Davious White
- SS Jordan Poyer
- FS Cole Bishop
- LCB Christian Benford
Special teams:
- PK Matt Prater
- P, H Mitch Wishnowsky
- PR Elijah Moore
- KR Ray Davis
- LS Reid Ferguson
After more than a year of the offense featuring a run game and a dink-and-dunk style, the Bills seemed to transition back to the explosiveness that made them so dangerous early in the season.
While it came at the cost of two interceptions, it also led Allen to have six touchdowns on the night in a Herculean effort. Against Houston, who has one of the best defenses in the entire NFL, they might want to revert to a more conservative style, especially with the Texans’ offense a shell of itself even before the injury to Stroud.
Houston Texans
Offense:
- QB Davis Mills
- RB Woody Marks
- WR Nico Collins
- WR Xavier Hutchinson
- WR Christian Kirk
- TE Dalton Schultz
- LT Aireontae Ersery
- LG Laken Tomlinson
- C Jake Andrews
- RG Ed Ingram
- RT Tytus Howard
Defense:
- LDE Will Anderson Jr.
- RDT Tim Settle Jr.
- LDT Sheldon Rankins
- RDE Danielle Hunter
- SLB Henry To’oTo’o
- MLB Azeez Al-Shair
- WLB E.J. Speed
- LCB Derek Stingley Jr.
- SS Calen Bullock
- FS Jaylen Reed
- RCB Kamari Lassiter
Special teams:
- PK Ka’imi Fairbairn
- P, H Tommy Townsend
- PR Jaylin Noel
- KR Braxton Berrios
- LS Austin Brinkman
The second-ranked team on PFSN’s Defense Impact has also forced the third-most interceptions in the entire league. With Allen regaining his propensity for turning the ball over, that might be the best pathway for Houston to remain in the game.
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The offense, led by Davis Mills, is not going to pose a major threat to Buffalo. But their defense could wreak havoc on the Bills and make the game more interesting than it has any right to be on Thursday Night Football.
