Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
Score: Buffalo 19, Houston 22
Records: Buffalo (10-7), Houston (11-6)
What it means: Playing in their second playoff appearance in three years, the Bills let a 16-0 lead slip away and lost 22-19 on the road in Houston.
First quarter: Bills 7, Texans 0
- Brian Daboll brought out the full bag of tricks on the Bills opening drive. Buffalo ran a quarterback run with two linemen pulling that sprung Josh Allen for a 42-yard run. Then, the Bills ran a double reverse which led to John Brown passing to Allen for the opening touchdown. Stephen Hauschka's kick was good.
- The Texans two drives in the quarter resulted in nothing. The Bills sacked Deshaun Watson twice and didn't allow a completion to DeAndre Hopkins. The Texans challenged defensive pass interference that would have given them a first down but it was not ruled in favor of Houston and they punted.
Second quarter: Bills 10, Texans 0
- The Bills drive overlapped between quarters. Allen converted a 3rd-and-nine with a 100yard completion to Isaiah McKenzie and then found Brown wide open for 28 yards. The Bills finished the drive with a 40-yard field goal.
- Buffalo's defense held the Texans scoreless again but punter Bryan Anger pinned the Bills inside the 10. With five minutes on the clock, the Bills orchestrated a drive that used the remaining time before the half. During the drive, Cole Beasley caught his first pass for 21 yards and Devin Singletary made two men miss for a pickup of 12. Hauschka's second 40 yard field goal of the game was good to give Buffalo a 13-0 lead going into half.
Third quarter: Bills 16, Texans 8
- After confusion on the opening kickoff that would have resulted in a Bills touchdown, the Texans take over and produce the same results they had all day. Their opening drive lasted three plays and went for negative six yards.
- The Bills have an unsuccessful drive and punt back to Houston. Watson finally found Hopkins open for his first catch but the ball was punched out by Tre'Davious White and recovered by Tremaine Edmunds. Buffalo took over on the Houston 38.
- The Bills muster a first down but the drive is stopped after a JJ Watt sack on third down and eight. Hauschka made the 38-yard field goal.
- Houston responded with their first scoring drive of the game. Hopkins makes two catches, including converting on 3rd-and-eight. Watson keeps for a 20-yard touchdown run. Watson kept it again for the two-point conversion.
Fourth quarter: Bills 19, Texans 19
- Buffalo moved the ball to near midfield. Allen attempted to scramble and fumbled, recovered by the Texans.
- Houston drove the ball to the 20. On third down, Jerry Hughes sacked Watson for the third time in the game. Ka'imi Fairburn's field goal was good with 10:59 remaining.
- The Bills went three and out for the first time all game. Houston took advantage. Watson hit Hopkins for 41 yards on the drive and Darren Fells for 14. Watson passed the ball to the short right to Carlos Hyde for five yards and a touchdown. The two-point conversion was good as Houston took their first lead of the game.
- Houston failed to convert a 4th-and-one. Buffalo took over without any timeouts with 1:16 remaining.
- The Bills moved the ball into field goal range. Hauschka connected on a 47-yard field goal to tie the game at 19 and force overtime.
Overtime: Bills 19, Texans 22
- The Texans won the coin toss and elected to receive. Buffalo's defense didn't allow them to sniff field goal range and Anger punts to the Buffalo 30.
- The Bills were threatening field goal range after Allen converted a 3rd-and-nine to Singletary for 14 yards. On the next second down, Allen tried to scramble but Cody Ford committed a blindside block. Buffalo cannot convert a 3rd-and-24 and punted.
- The Texans, only needing a field goal, were able to move the ball to the Buffalo 10. Watson alluded the pass rush and found Taiwan Jones for 34 yards. Fairbairn's kick from 28 was good.
Subplots:
Jerry Hughes is the first Bill in team history to have 3+ sacks in a single postseason game. He's also the first NFL defender with 3+ sacks in a postseason game since the Falcons Grady Jarrett had three in Super Bowl LI (2016).
With three field goals, Stephen Hauschka now has 23 career postseason field goals – tied for seventh all time in NFL history.
Josh Allen's 92 rushing yards are the most by a Bills quarterback in the postseason, pasing Jim Kelly's 37 yards vs. Miami In 1990.
Josh Allen joins hall of famers Marcus Allen and Walter Payton as the only players with a 25+ yard pass, 40+ yard rush, and a 15+ yard reception in a game since 1975. Allen is the first to do it since 1983.
Josh Allen is the first quarterback in NFL history with a 40-yard run and touchdown reception in any game regular season or postseason. He did it on one drive.
John Brown is the first Bills wide receiver to ever complete a pass in the postseason. Josh Allen is the first Bills quarterback to catch a postseason touchdown. He joins Jim Kelly (one catch) as the only Bills quarterbacks to catch a postseason pass.
Bills inactives: RB T.J. Yeldon, WR Robert Foster, TE Tommy Sweeney, G/T Ryan Bates, G/C Ike Boettger, DT Vincent Taylor, CB Levi Wallace
Texans inactives: WR Steven Mitchell Jr, WR Will Fuller V, CB Johnathan Joseph, CB Cornell Armstrong, T Elijah Nkansah, TE Jordan Akins, NT Eddie Vaderdoes.
