DIGGING DEEP

On an afternoon when momentum was stolen, with time running out, the Texans dug deep and found a way to get a last second win over an AFC power.

Ka'imi Fairbairn's 59-yard field goal as time expired beat Buffalo 23-20, as the H-Town Heart-Stoppers pulled out another dramatic win.

Houston built a 20-3 lead after the first drive of the third quarter as Fairbairn hit a 'routine' 47-yard kick. This came after he ended the first half with a 50-yard triple.

Part of the first half scoring fun came courtesy of a 67-yard bomb to Nico Collins and a 15-yard TD run by Cam Akers, his first rushing touchdown for Houston.

The defense was dealing early, holding the Bills to three first half points by limiting Josh Allen to 56 yards passing and just 103 total yards.

But the Bills made a run of 17 unanswered points, to tie the game at 20 with 3:18 left in the final frame.

A six play, 55-yard touchdown drive, that cut the lead to ten, felt like an inconvenience. But after a Texans three-and-out, the Bills pounced again with a five-play drive. We were celebrating in the booth after a huge third and five stop at the Texans 49-yard line.

Then Buffalo bravely went for it on 4^th and difficult, with Allen finding Keon Coleman, who took the ball for a sideline sprint on his way to a TD that cut the Bills' deficit to three.

That's when the tension meter really started to climb.

After the teams traded punts, the Texans had a nice drive brewing until C.J. Stroud threw his third pick of the year at the opposing 20.

Buffalo was eventually forced to punt after Allen threw the ball away on third and long and took a shot in the process. He went under the tent to be evaluated.

Stroud fumbled the ball trying to wiggle out of pressure on the next possession. But the Texans defenders stood strong in the red zone and held the Bills to a game tying field goal. After trading possessions, the Texans had one more chance in regulation, with seven seconds left.

Stroud found Dare Ogunbowale for a nifty six-yard pick up to get the ball in position for Fairbairn's heroics.

EVERYONE CONTRIBUTED

There were so many key plays and so many players contributing – too many to list here. Let's highlight Ogunbowale, who's easily having his best year, and needs to, with Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce still out.

He had only 30 yards on 15 carries, but they felt and were significant. And his 57 yards on six receptions were huge.

Stefon Diggs had the best day any receiver has put up against Buffalo this year, with six grabs for 82 yards. And let's never forget that Stroud, despite two turnovers, is one of the best quarterbacks in the world. He went over 300 yards again and surgically made the big plays when the Texans needed them most.

The defense held Allen to just nine competitions and didn't give an inch when put on the short field in the late sudden-change situation. They also kept the Bills pinned at their three-yard line after a reluctant Houston punt following a 'no-choice' intentional grounding call on the second to last Texans possession.

Azeez Al-Shaair had eight stops, a TFL and two QB hits to lead the way. All this while playing ill, apparently with the 'Jordan flu.'

ONE TO REMEMBER

This was another one to remember. The H-Town uniform rocked the house, as the Texans won during their first outing in them. I was there for the first Battle Red game, in 2003, also a victory. A new tradition is born.

Most importantly, it was a win over an AFC contender. It's early, and there's a lot to clean up. But there's a lot to smile about, as your Texans are off to their best start in 12 years and will venture to keep it going at New England next week.