Bills 40, Texans 0: How it happened, stars of the game, key plays

At Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park

Plays of the game: Josh Allen ran for 16 yards on fourth-and-1 from the Houston 49, then completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dawson Knox to give the Bills a 7-0 lead with two minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Observations: Tremaine Edmunds, Ed Oliver live up to draft status in Bills' rout of Texans

Knox also caught a 1-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, giving the Bills a 26-0 lead and Knox four scores in four games. He is the first Bills tight end to catch a touchdown in three consecutive games since Charles Clay in 2016. Knox scored three times last season.

For the record: Bills 3-1; Texans 1-3.

Allen tossed an interception on the Bills’ first play of the game, but the toothless Texans – starting rookie quarterback Davis Mills with Deshaun Watson on the shelf and Tyrod Taylor injured – failed to score despite starting the next drive on the Buffalo 8.

Houston managed just six first downs and 109 yards of total offense on the rainy afternoon, most of it in garbage time.

The Bills went on to win handily, despite their own offensive struggles in the red zone.

Tyler Bass hit field goals from 33, 26, 21 and 28 yards, in between Knox touchdowns.

Zack Moss scored on a four-yard run in the fourth quarter, his third consecutive game with a touchdown.

The Bills began pulling starters early in the fourth quarter.

Mitchell Trubisky added a four-yard rushing score.

The Bills’ defense had five takeaways: Interceptions by Tremaine Edmunds, Micah Hyde, Jaquan Johnson and Tyler Matakevich. A.J. Klein had a fumble recovery.

It was the most lopsided loss in the history of the Texans franchise and gives the Bills two shutouts already this season, only the third season in franchise history with multiple shutouts. The Bills also had two in 1982 and 1990.

The Bills scored 40-plus points in consecutive games for the second time in franchise history. The previous time was in Weeks 8 and 9 in 1990 when the Bills beat Cleveland, 42-0, and then Phoenix, 45-14. 

Stars of the game:

• Josh Allen, Bills: 20 of 29 for 248 yards, two TDs, INT and a 103.8 rating; 41 rush yards on six carries.

• Dawson Knox, Bills: Five catches for 37 yards, 2 TDs.

• Stefon Diggs, Bills: Seven catches for game-high 114 yards.

• Tremaine Edmunds, Bills: Team-high six tackles, INT.

Boogie time: Bills rookie second-round pick Boogie Basham recorded his first career sack in his first career game, nearly dropping Mills for a safety early in the second quarter. The defensive end from Wake Forest was a healthy inactive for the first three games of the season.

Ford benched: The Bills benched offensive lineman Cody Ford, the team’s second-round draft pick out of Oklahoma in 2019, despite fellow starting guard Jon Feliciano missing the game with a concussion. Ford started the first three games of the season at right guard.

The starting offensive line against the Texans, from left to right: Dion Dawkins, Ike Boettger, Mitch Morse, Daryl Williams and Spencer Brown, the rookie third-round pick from Northern Iowa.

Ford entered the game at right guard for one play when Dawkins was slow to get up late in the third quarter. Williams moved to right tackle, Brown to left tackle. Ford returned to the game amid wholesale substitutions midway through the fourth quarter.

Toothless Texans: Houston’s minus-23 passing yards in the first half were the fewest for any NFL team in a first half in the last 20 seasons, per ESPN Stats & Information. It was the fewest yards in any half in franchise history.

Massive spread: The Bills covered despite being favored by 17.5 points.

Buffalo hadn’t been such a heavy favorite since 1992, when the Bills were favored by 19.5 points at home against New England and by 19 points at home against Indianapolis.

Since 1978, there have been only 36 NFL games – out of more than 10,000 – with a spread larger than 17 points, according to Stathead.com.

Injuries: Linebacker Matt Milano left the game in the second quarter with a hamstring injury and did not return.

Bills safety Jordan Poyer (ankle), cornerback Taron Johnson (groin) and Feliciano (concussion) were inactive.

Next up: Bills at Kansas City Chiefs, 8:20 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 10