The Texans’ dramatic last-second win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at NRG Stadium was manufactured in many ways, including the strong, precise right leg of elite kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn.
Here are five reasons the defending Texans improved to 4-1 for the season behind a 23-20 victory over the AFC East leaders:
1. Starting with Fairbairn and the Texans’ investment in him this offseason as one of the highest-paid kickers in the NFL. It was a smart move by Texans general manager Nick Caserio to retain Fairbairn as a free agent.
Fairbairn crushed a 59-yard field goal, two yards short of his career total of 61 yards, as time expired to win the game in the fourth quarter and prevent the Bills from coming back from a 20-3 deficit. Fairbairn became the Texans’ all-time leading scorer in franchise history earlier Sunday, surpassing Kris Brown. Fairbairn made all three field goals and two extra points to account for 11 of the Texans’ points. For the season, Fairbairn made 11 of his 12 field goals and nine extra points for a total of 42 points.
2. Pro Bowl quarterback CJ Stroud completed 28 of 38 passes for 331 yards, one touchdown and one interception for a passer rating of 97.6. His unusual interception and lost fumble helped the Bills’ cause in the second half, but, overall, Stroud is still more of a solution than a problem. The second-year passer was sacked just once as he routinely avoided pressure. Stroud didn’t have much help from the running game as they rushed for just 94 yards on 28 carries with a touchdown run from Cam Akers, the leading rusher with 42 yards on nine carries. Dare Ogunbowale was limited to 30 rushing yards on 15 carries, but contributed six catches for 57 yards on seven targets. After zero penalties in the first half, the Texans committed seven penalties in the second half, including an intentional grounding on Stroud, which helped the Bills close the gap.
3. Receiver Stefon Diggs describes himself as an “emotional guy.” He was feeling great after beating his old team, the one that traded him this offseason and privately said they no longer needed him on their roster. Well, Diggs got the win and the bragging rights.
MORE: ‘Honestly, it meant a lot to me,’ Texans’ Stefon Diggs acknowledges ’emotions’ of winning over Bills after offseason trade
He held back all week, but this match “meant a lot”. He caught six passes for 82 yards on eight targets, providing a constant threat down the field after star receiver Nico Collins, the NFL’s leader in receiving yards, left the game with a hamstring strain suffered during a 67-yard touchdown. Collins and the Texans are optimistic he will return as early as next week.
RELATED: Texans receiver Nico Collins injures hamstring on long touchdown run, officially ruled out
4. The defense was solid. They made Bills Pro Bowl quarterback Josh Allen look ordinary. Allen completed just 9 of 31 passes for 131 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions for a passer rating of 56.4, one of his worst games since his rookie season. He rushed for 54 yards on four carries, but was largely contained. James Cook rushed 82 yards on 20 carries for a touchdown, but did not open the game. The Texans bent but didn’t break as they allowed 154 rushing yards on 28 carries for an average of 5.4. Veteran linebacker and team captain Azeez Al-Shaair played after an illness sent him to the hospital Saturday with severe nausea. Al-Shaair gutted it out to start and recorded a team-high eight tackles.
5. Pass coverage, with the exception of a routine missed tackle by rookie cornerback Kamari Lassiter on Bills receiver Keon Coleman’s touchdown, was solid all day. In particular, standout corner Derek Stingley Jr., a Pro Bowl snub last season, was lights out. He had seven tackles and one pass defensed and made some big plays.
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Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
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