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Bills Lose Ugly In Houston 23-17
Bills lose second straight as Watt dominates the Bills offense.
by Steve Saslow
The Skinny:
J.J. Watt put the icing on top of his dominating effort with an 80 yard interception return for a touchdown to spark the Texans to a 23-17 win over the Bills. The Bills had a 10-7 lead at that time and were looking for more when EJ Manuel's third down pass was read perfectly by Watt to swing the game. Besides the interception Watt got up close and personal with Manuel all day long hitting him nine times in the game. Manuel struggled mightily most of the day but gave the Bills hope with an 80 yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams early in the fourth quarter to pull the Bills within three after the Texans had reeled off 20 unanswered points. Sammy Watkins also caught a touchdown pass but he dropped three passes as well. The Bills still had a chance late in the game as they were driving for a possible winning score when Manuel threw his second interception of the game at the Texans 25 with 1:14 to go to wrap up a terrible loss.
The Turning Point:
Watt's Interception: The Bills had just picked off Fitzpatrick for a second time and causing the third turnover of the game. Then on 3rd and 3 from the Texans 12 Manuel looked for Jackson but Watt read it perfectly and picked it off and took it 80 yards for the go ahead touchdown.
The Big Drive:
The Texans First TD: With the Bills leading 10-0 and time running out in the first half, Fitzpatrick led his offense on their best drive of the day. They went 80 yards in 8 plays in just 2:32 and the drive was capped off with a 35 yard sideline pass to DeAndre Hopkins for the score. Adrian Foster had a 17 yard pass to convert a third down on the drive.
Stat I Did Like:
Rushing Defense: They allowed to just a 1.5 yard average per rushing attempt as the Texans got 37 yards on 24 carries.
Stat I Didn't Like:
Pass Attempts: Manuel should not be throwing the ball 44 yards in a close game.
Quick Slants:
- It was 90° in Houston but the dome was closed at NRG stadium making it a comfortable 72°.
- The Bills won the toss and interestingly enough elected to receive. They usually defer and take the ball in the 2nd half especially on the road.
- Duke Williams got the start for Da'Norris Searcy and Leodis McKelvin continues to start at corner.
- The crowd was definitely a factor in the Bills having to use all three first half timeouts early and two false start penalties.
Key Matchup Results:
The winners of the battles highlighted in our preview article:
LT Cordy Glenn vs. DE J.J. Watt: Winner: Watt. He lined up everywhere and dominated from everywhere.
WR Sammy Watkins vs. CB Johnathan Joseph: Winner: Joseph. Even though Watkins had a touchdown he dropped three passes.
DE Mario Williams vs. RT Derek Newton: Winner: Newton. Mario wasn't super in his 2nd appearance as an opponent in Houston.
LB Brandon Spikes vs. RB Arian Foster: Winner: Spikes. There wasn't much doing on other ground for Houston.
Keys To The Game Results:
How the keys highlighted in our preview article turned out:
1. Give Manuel Time: Failure! He got to know Watt really well as he was pressure almost every time he dropped back to pass.
2. Get Running Game Going: Success! They ran pretty well but didn't run enough.
3. Be Disciplined: Failure! They had eight penalties for 40 yards.
My Take:
Another year with a good start only to see it come crashing down quickly. All the good vibes with the 2-0 start have washed away thanks to back to back losses with tough matchups ahead the next two weeks. Yes there is optimism with the ownership change but that change alone can't wash away 14 years of disappointments. This was just another Sunday that felt very similar to so many losses over the years. We were allowed to think for a minute that the Bills may pull it out as they crossed midfield in the final 90 seconds of the game but as this team has done so often over the years they let us down with a terrible interception as the poor play at quarterback over the years continues.
What's Ahead:
The Bills remain on the road as they head to Detroit to take on the Lions. It is fitting that the last game the Bills will play under the ownership of the Wilson family will come in the area where Ralph Wilson resided his whole life against the team he had a minority ownership in before buying the Bills.
Gameballs
C.J. Spiller - He had 84 total yards including 60 on the ground.
Fred Jackson - He had 85 total yards including 52 through the air.
Mike Williams - He had 84 yards on two catches including the bomb for a score.
Goats
EJ Manuel - His inaccuracy is maddening but the interception return for a score by Watt was inexcusable.
Keith Rivers - For one play, he neglected to touch the receiver down and allowed him to roll for a first down late in the game on a third down catch short of the sticks.
Sammy Watkins - Three big drops when they need big plays from the fourth overall pick in the draft.
Player Of The Week
Fred Jackson - The former undrafted free agent is the best player on an offense with several first round picks.
 Positional Breakdown and Grades
NFL.com Gamebook
Texans Game Preview
Gameday Homepage
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