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'We have to find ways to pull these out' | Bills react after the near comeback against the Texans

Oct 07, 2024 at 10:00 AM

Dorian Alerte

Contributing Correspondent

Despite a strong second half from the offense, the Buffalo Bills could not complete the comeback attempt as they fell to the Houston Texans 23-20 on the road and their record falls to 3-2 on the season.

"Tough game. I thought our guys did a great job coming back," head coach Sean McDermott said. "Coaches made good adjustments, just not enough in the end and that's on me."

After being down 20-3, the Bills scored 17 straight points, and the defense kept the Texans to only 3 points in the second half until the game-winning field goal was kicked.

"It sucks to lose any game, but especially when you come back all the way through, felt like we had good momentum going into the second half, into the fourth quarter there, but it's the NFL. It's a tough League," LB Terrel Bernard said.

It was a big learning day for several young players, particularly on the defensive side of the football, as rookies S Cole Bishop and DT DeWayne Carter made their first starts of their careers and second year LB Dorian Williams continued to rack up tackles.

Bishop ended the day with four total tackles and Carter was a big component along the defensive line, getting in on several key stops early in the game.

"I thought we had opportunities in the game, I really did," McDermott said. "I thought the defense, with the guys that were playing out there, really battled out there."

"We have a lot of young guys particularly on the defensive-side battling and giving us great effort in all three phases. The margins in the NFL are slim and we got to continue to work to improve ourselves… We have to find ways to pull these out."

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Williams also had a day to remember as he became the first Bills player to have 10 or more total tackles in four straight games since George Wilson did in 2011. He also became the first Bill with nine or more tackles in each of the first five games of the season since tackles began being tracked in 1994. He also recovered a fumble that set the offense up with great field position late in the game that led to the game tying field goal.

"Yeah, Dorian has gotten better every single week," Bernard said. "He's flying around, making plays, communicating, executing his job, and he's been finding the ball too… He's been getting better every single week, proud of him, and you know we're going to keep working to get better."

Buffalo struck first and scored the first points of the game from a K Tyler Bass field goal that brought the game to an early 3-0 lead for the Bills. They never saw the lead again from that point as the Texans scored 20 points unanswered, taking the 17-point lead into the third quarter.

After Texans WR Nico Collins took a 67-yard catch over the top to the end zone, the Bills defense did not allow a touchdown for the rest of the game, holding Houston to only two field goals the rest of the way.

"Settling in," Bernard said. "We didn't start off, the way we wanted to. Gave up a couple big plays there. And we came in, took a deep breath, got back to doing what we do, and we were able to get out there, calm down a little bit, just go play."

"I think that was a huge testament to who we are as a team. We've been in those situations, and we've fought our way back. Now, I think the next step is not to get into situations so and to start fast and to get on a good start so we're not playing from behind."

For the second week in a row, the Bills offense found life in the second half and this time they responded first with an RB James Cook touchdown up the middle.

"I'm proud of how we responded in the second half," Bills QB Josh Allen said. "Got on our horses and gave ourselves a chance to win a football game."

The play of the game happened when Allen found rookie WR Keon Coleman on a fourth down and five play that the receiver took to the house for 49 yards.

"Simple play call," Coleman said. "Simple stop route, down by the sticks be physical. Make the catch, Mack (Hollins) and Dawson (Knox) made some good blocks down the field and got in the endzone."

The defense continued their strong second half, forcing Texans QB C.J. Stroud into a few turnovers - an interception from Bernard and a strip sack from DE Dawaune Smoot and recovery from Williams.

After the turnovers, the offense could only muster a field goal, despite great field position, and they tied the game at 20-20.

Even with momentum on their side, it was not enough as on their final drive of the game, pinned deep at their own three-yard line, the offense called three straight pass plays that left 30 seconds on the clock and the Texans with three timeouts.

"Overall, again, that's on me," McDermott said. "We just got to do a better job. I got to do a better job in that situation."