By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer
HOUSTON — Houston’s dominant defense sacked Josh Allen eight times and Calen Bullock forced three turnovers, with his second interception sealing the Texans’ 23-19 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night.
Allen took consecutive sacks on the Bills’ final possession, leading to a fourth-and-27, but Buffalo gained 44 yards on a short pass from Allen to Josh Palmer, who tossed a lateral to Khalil Shakir.
After a false-start penalty created a fourth-and-6 for Buffalo (7-4), Bullock intercepted Allen at the Houston 9-yard line with 24 seconds left.
Davis Mills threw for 153 yards with two first-half touchdown passes to help the Texans (6-5) to their third straight victory with C.J. Stroud sidelined by a concussion. Houston moved above .500 for the first time this season.
Allen threw for 253 yards without a touchdown after accounting for six touchdowns in a win against Tampa Bay last week. He was harassed all night, and the eight sacks were the most he’s taken in his career. Will Anderson Jr. had 2½ sacks and Danielle Hunter had two.
Bullock forced a fumble after a catch by Shakir with about four minutes left in the third quarter and Jaylen Reed recovered it and returned it 9 yards to the Buffalo 22. The Texans extended the lead to 23-16 on Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 26-yard field goal.
James Cook was stuffed for a 2-yard loss on fourth-and-1 on Buffalo’s next drive to give Houston the ball. But Houston couldn’t move the ball and punted.
Shakir took a short pass for a 44-yard gain, but Buffalo’s drive stalled after that and the Bills settled for a 38-yard field goal by Matt Prater that cut the lead to 23-19 with about six minutes to go.
Anderson had his sixth consecutive game with at least one sack, tying Mario Williams for the longest streak in a single season in franchise history. His second sack came when he almost took Allen down near the line of scrimmage, but he wriggled away and Anderson got up and chased him across the field to drop him for an 18-yard loss to force a punt early in the third.
Cook had 116 yards rushing with a touchdown to give him 1,084 yards this year, his third straight 1,000-yard season. He’s the third player in team history to do that, joining Thurman Thomas (eight) and O.J. Simpson (five).
Cook’s 45-yard TD run gave the Bills an early lead, but Prater missed the extra point.
The Texans had a first down at the Buffalo 6-yard line on the ensuing possession, but they settled for a 24-yard field goal to cut the lead to 6-3.
The Bills led by six after another field goal when Christian Kirk scored his first touchdown as a Texan on a 2-yard reception to put Houston on top 10-9 about four minutes before halftime.
Bullock intercepted Allen on a ball that was tipped and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown. But the score was called back because of a block in the back, giving Houston the ball at the Buffalo 25. Houston added a field goal after that to extend the lead to 13-9.
Ray Davis returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown to put Buffalo ahead, 16-13. Davis bounced off a defender and spun away from the crowd before dashing down the field and flipping into the end zone. It was Buffalo’s first kick return for a touchdown since a 101-yard return by Nyheim Hines on Jan. 8, 2023 and the team’s first on the road since C.J. Spiller’s 95-yard return at New England on Sept. 26, 2010.
The Texans regained the lead when Jayden Higgins grabbed an 8-yard touchdown pass with eight seconds left in the first half. The Texans got into scoring position with a 33-yard catch-and-run by Kirk.
INJURIES
Bills: Linebacker Terrel Bernard left with an elbow injury in the third quarter.
Texans: Cornerback Ajani Carter left in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury.
COLEMAN BENCHED AGAIN
Buffalo receiver Keon Coleman was a healthy scratch on Thursday, his second straight benching after showing up late to a team meeting before the Bills’ last game.
Coach Sean McDermott said Coleman, a second-round draft pick in 2024, was inactive for last weekend’s game against Tampa Bay as punishment for his tardiness.
He was previously benched for the first series of a loss to New England in Week 5 after also being late for a meeting. Coleman has 32 receptions for 330 yards and three touchdowns this season.
Earlier Thursday, the Bills placed receiver Mecole Hardman on injured reserve after he suffered a calf injury in his Buffalo debut last week. The seventh-year player and three-time Super Bowl winner with the Kansas City Chiefs had just signed with the Bills a week earlier in a bid by the team to add depth at receiver.
The Bills also elevated receiver Gabe Davis and tight end Keleki Latu from the practice squad for the game against the Texans.
REFEREE INJURED
Referee Adrian Hill left the game after being injured during a punt in the third quarter. He was standing in the end zone and pulled up as he tried to run forward. He wasn’t putting any weight on his left leg as he was helped off the field by two Texans staff members.
He went to the Texans sideline and gave his white referee hat to Roy Ellison, who moved from umpire to referee to take his place.
Hill got on a cart and was driven away from the sideline. The Texans said he was being taken for tests.
UP NEXT
The Bills visit Pittsburgh on Nov. 30.
The Texans visit Indianapolis on Nov. 30.
More to come on this story.
