Bills Rally Past Texans 36–31 on Late Josh Palmer Touchdown
The Bills finished a back-and-forth season opener with the final touchdown, beating Houston 36–31 on Sunday at Reliant Stadium. Josh Allen’s 34-yard scoring pass to Josh Palmer capped a seven-play, 96-yard drive and erased a one-point deficit. Buffalo missed the two-point attempt but finished with the victory.
The official scoring summary traces a fourth quarter with repeated changes at the front. C.J. Stroud’s seven-yard touchdown pass to David Montgomery put Houston ahead 28–27. Tyler Bass answered with a 33-yard field goal for Buffalo, then Ka’imi Fairbairn connected from 58 yards to restore Houston’s lead at 31–30. The Bills’ decisive touchdown drive took just 1:37.
Allen had already helped Buffalo build its first-half advantage in two different ways. He ran for touchdowns of 21 yards and one yard, then threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore. The Moore score completed a 96-yard drive that used only three plays and 41 seconds. Buffalo went into halftime ahead 24–21 after Stroud found Nico Collins for a late Houston touchdown.
The final team statistics show the contrast in how the offenses used the afternoon. Houston held the ball for 36:17, compared with Buffalo’s 23:43. Yet the Bills finished with 409 total net yards to the Texans’ 381. Possession time alone could not protect Houston when Buffalo was able to cover long stretches of the field quickly.
Penalties also took a substantial toll. Buffalo finished with 10 for 85 yards; Houston had seven for 106. Those totals leave both teams with work after an opener that repeatedly demanded another answer from the offense. The Bills supplied the final one with a touchdown drive, after the previous two lead changes had come through field goals.
Buffalo starts 1–0 and Houston 0–1. For the wider AFC picture in PowerPage Sports, this was a reminder that an opponent can control the clock and still lose the decisive exchanges. The Texans kept creating scoring opportunities; the Bills’ late burst ensured the final lead belonged to the visitors.
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