Josh Allen endured a career-high eight sacks and two interceptions as the Buffalo Bills lost 23-19 to the Houston Texans on Thursday night. The Bills had a chance to win in the final minute, but Allen was intercepted by Calen Bullock at the Houston 9-yard line with 24 seconds remaining.
Allen completed 253 yards passing but failed to throw a touchdown, a stark contrast to his six-touchdown performance the previous week. He was hit 12 times in total, prompting concern from head coach Sean McDermott. 'When they hit our quarterback 12 times, I don't like that,' McDermott said. 'It's not a healthy way to play.'
The Bills' final possession saw Allen sacked twice, leading to a fourth-and-27. A lateral play gained 44 yards, but a false-start penalty set up fourth-and-6 before the game-ending interception. Allen acknowledged his struggles: 'I've got to be better at throwing the ball away. Too many times, I was going backwards.'
Will Anderson Jr. led the Texans with 2.5 sacks, including an 18-yard loss on a play where he chased Allen across the field. The Bills played without receiver Keon Coleman for the second straight game due to disciplinary reasons. Running back James Cook rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown, while Khalil Shakir had eight catches for 110 yards.
The loss drops Buffalo to 7-4, while the Texans improved to 7-4. Allen said after the game: 'We had a chance to win it there at the end. We've got to find a way, and we didn't.'
