The Buffalo Bills traveled to Houston, Tex., to face the Texans on their home field at NRG Stadium in the Wild Card round of the 2019 playoff season and the Texans were heavily favored to win this round of the playoffs. After being shut out in the first half, the Houston defense and offense came together in the second half to win the game in overtime.
Buffalo received the ball first to open the game and ended their first drive three minutes later with a touchdown score after John Brown passed the ball to Josh Allen 16 yards for the touchdown, putting the first points up on the board. Houston was unable to convert their opening drive into any points and both teams exchanged downs for the next several drives. The score remained 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The Bills ended their opening drive of the second quarter with a 40-yard field goal kick by Stephen Hauschka after 11 plays and nearly five minutes of play. This gave the Bills a 10-point lead over the Texans, and once again, Houston was unable to convert their opening drive into any points on the board.
In the next Buffalo possession, which lasted 15 plays and nearly six minutes, Hauschka kicked the ball from 40 yards out and again put it through the posts, giving the Bills a 13-point lead and shutting the Texans out heading into halftime.
The Houston offense needed to regroup and re-gain focus during halftime, and they opened the second half with possession of the ball but went three-and-out in their first possession. The Bills were unable to put any points up in their opening drive either and in the following Houston possession, DeAndre Hopkins fumbled the ball and Tremaine Edmunds made the recovery for the Bills, giving them the takeaway.
The Bills were forced to attempt another field goal after J.J. Watt sacked Allen for a loss of eight yards on a third down and Hauschka came out for the third time and kicked from the 38-yard line to give Buffalo another three points, making it. 16-0 with 6:07 left in the third quarter.
He’s Baaaaaaaaaaaack!!!!! @JJWatt pic.twitter.com/OVOaIbZscQ
— TJ Watt (@_TJWatt) December 31, 2019
SAAAAAACKKKKKK!!! YESSIRRR!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥 @JJWatt
— Derek Watt (@DerekWatt34) January 4, 2020
The Texans’ offense finally did their thing in the next possession and had their best drive of the game up to this point after Watson rushed the ball for a 20-yard touchdown, ending a nine-play drive. He then rushed the ball again for the two-point conversion, putting Houston on the board, 16-8, with a minute and a half left in the third quarter.
DW4 with the STRONG run for SIX!@deshaunwatson | #BUFvsHOU pic.twitter.com/P26jn6XqHK
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 4, 2020
In the next Buffalo possession, Whitney Mercilus, who leads the Texans in sacks, got to Allen for a loss of four yards and forced a fumble, which Jacob Martin recovered, giving the takeaway to Houston. The Texans answered in the next drive when Fairbairn closed out the drive with a 41-yard field goal and closed the gap to just five points, 16-11.
Buffalo went three-and-out in their following drive and Houston took the momentum they gained from the 11-point scoring run. Watson and Hopkins set the ball up for the score with a 41-yard connection and, several plays, later Carlos Hyde rushed the ball for a five-yard touchdown. Watson connected with Hopkins for the two-point conversion and the Texans took the 19-16 lead with less than five minutes to play.
Both teams exchanged downs in the next several drives and the Bills ended their last possession tying the game after Hauschka kicked a 47-yard field goal through the posts, making it 19-19 with five seconds on the clock and forcing overtime.
Overtime.#BUFvsHOU
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 5, 2020
Houston received the ball first in the overtime period and went three-and-out, giving the Bills the opportunity to score and win the game, but the Bills were unable to convert their opening drive into any points and the ball went back to the Texans with nine minutes left on the clock. The Texans played for almost six minutes and moved the ball to the Buffalo 10-yard line before bringing Fairbairn on the field to kick the game-winning field goal from 28 yards out with just over three minutes on the clock. Houston defeated Buffalo, 22-19, and will advance to the next playoff round against the Chiefs in Kansas City. The key to winning the game was stopping the Bills’ offense in addition to the dynamic duo of Watson and Hopkins doing their thing, and the Texans came back from a 16-point shutout in the first half to take the three-point win in overtime.
Unbelievable.@deshaunwatson | #BUFvsHOU pic.twitter.com/N0A4HEx558
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 5, 2020
WILD CARD WINNER!@kroger | #WeAreTexans pic.twitter.com/QtHY0cxxt4
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 5, 2020
