Week 4: Bills vs. Texans
at
Sunday, Sept. 28th
1:00pm ET
The Bills look to get back on the winning trail as they travel to Houston to take on their former QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Texans. Mario Williams' former team is also trying to get back on track after they suffered their first loss of the season against the Giants last week.

FACTS AND FIGURES

Matchup: Buffalo (2-1) vs. Houston (2-1)
Place: NRG Stadium
TV/Radio: Network: CBS; DirecTV: 709; Sirius: 126
Announcers: Spero Dedes and Solomon Wilcots
Spread: Texans by 3
Series: Series tied 3-3
Streak: Texans Won 2
Last Meeting: Texans 21-9 in Houston (2012)
Texans Offense: Rush (5th); Pass (20th); overall (15th)
Texans Defense: Rush (25th); Pass (18th); overall (25th)
Bills Offense: Rush (t-11th); Pass (28th); overall (t-23rd)
Bills Defense: Rush (6th); Pass (26th); overall (15th)


INJURY UPDATE

The Bills will likely get Keith Rivers back, he has missed two games with a groin injury. Marcus Easley is out with a sprained MCL. Da'Norris Searcy is battling an ankle injury suffered against San Diego but hopes to play. Chris Williams aggravated his back injury and will likely be a gametime decision to find out if he play or not. They will likely be without Randell Johnson again who remains sidelined with a knee injury.

The Texans hope to get star RB Arian Foster back. He missed last week's game with a hamstring injury and is back practicing. He will likely play but a final decision may not be made until gameday. They are without top rookie Jadeveon Clowney who is sidelined with a knee injury. They may need a new punter this week as Shane Lechler has a hip injury and is not practicing. S Eddie Pleasant is missing practice time this week with an ankle injury.

Check out our Bills Daily Injury Page throughout the week for the latest updates on the injured players.

KEY MATCHUPS

LT Cordy Glenn vs. DE J.J. Watt:
Glenn is coming off perhaps the worst performance of his career and it just gets tougher as he faces perhaps the best defensive end in the game in Watt.

WR Sammy Watkins vs. CB Johnathan Joseph:
Watkins looks to rebound from a poor performance against the Chargers. He will matchup with the solid veteran Joseph.

DE Mario Williams vs. RT Derek Newton:
Williams calls this just another game but there is little doubt he will be fired up to return to Houston. He would love to have a big game in his second meeting against his former team.

LB Brandon Spikes vs. RB Arian Foster:
Spikes hasn't seen too much time on the field the past two weeks but this week he will likely be out there more with Foster in the opposing backfield likely coming back from a hamstring injury.

KEYS TO THE GAME

1. Give Manuel Time: EJ Manuel really struggles when he gets out of his comfort zone and has to move out of the pocket. It is important that the OL protects that pocket and gives him time to throw so the passing game can be successful.
2. Get Running Game Going: The ground game has been a major disappointment for the Bills this year. They continue to run it a lot but with the exception of a few long runs they have been dismal running the football. That needs to change this week to stop the Texans defense from teeing off on the quarterback.
3. Be Disciplined: The Bills got called for 11 penalties last week for more than 100 yards. You can't do that and win. They need to not beat themselves with stupid penalties.

BILLS DAILY PREDICTION

This is a crossroads game for both teams. One of these two teams could be one of the surprise teams of the NFL this year but that team will have to get a victory this week. A road game is always tougher and Fitzpatrick will be fired up to play his former team. He has been known to make mistakes by forcing the ball and in a tight game one mistake may be the difference:
Bills 16, Texans 14

Season Prediction Record: (1-2)
Season Record Against The Spread: (1-2)

Bills Blitz - Coming Sunday Night!
Gameday Grades - Coming Sunday Night!
Gameday Homepage