Buffalo leaves Week 1 with a 36-31 victory, but the result did not answer whether the roster around Josh Allen is capable of delivering a sustained title push. The win hinged on Allen’s late-playmaking and a turnover by the Texans, moments that papered over recurring gaps on both sides of the ball.
The Story in Pictures
Allen completed 20 of 29 passes for 334 yards, two passing touchdowns and no interceptions, finishing with a 130.5 passer rating. He also carried six times for 23 yards and scored twice on the ground. The decisive sequence came with 1:48 remaining and Buffalo trailing 31-30, when Allen lofted a pass into the end zone. Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter dropped a would-be interception, and Allen converted the second chance with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Palmer.
Houston’s possession ended when CJ Stroud fumbled after a sack with 16 seconds left, sealing the Bills’ victory. Stroud, the NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2023, is playing this season while negotiating his second NFL contract and has been inconsistent over the two full seasons since his 2023 award. Across the game the pattern was familiar: Allen delivered moments of brilliance while Buffalo’s defence, under new coordinator Jim Leonhard, was tested regularly. Stroud and running back David Montgomery pushed the Texans’ attack through Buffalo’s front enough to raise questions about the Bills’ balance.
Statistically, the coverage noted a reduction in Allen’s turnovers compared with recent seasons: 37 total turnovers in 2022 and 2023 combined, versus 18 combined in 2024 and 2025. Still, the result served as a reminder that leaning on late heroics is an imperfect blueprint for a Super Bowl run until the roster provides steadier support.
Elsewhere on Sunday, Derrick Henry was named MVP of the week after the Baltimore Ravens beat the Indianapolis Colts 41-23. Henry carried 24 times for 144 yards and three touchdowns and added a 19-yard reception. He passed Marcus Allen on the NFL’s all-time rushing touchdown list with 125, leaving Emmitt Smith and LaDainian Tomlinson as the only players ahead of him. Lamar Jackson and Zay Flowers also made significant plays, Flowers finishing a 54-yard touchdown.
The Cleveland Browns fell 34-10 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, a result that intensified scrutiny of Deshaun Watson. Head coach Todd Monken defended his decision to keep Watson in the game, saying, “We’ll analyze everything that we do,” Monken said of Watson. “It’s not just him, OK? We’re putting this on Deshaun, OK, which is unfair. And whatever there is externally doesn’t matter to me. That doesn’t affect me. That has nothing to do with my decision making … My decision making is what’s best for the Browns now and moving forward.” Some coverage argued the Browns may be retaining Watson because of his contract and described the trade that brought him to Cleveland as the worst in football history.
What comes next is clear in outline: Buffalo advances with momentum but must shore up its defence and overall roster balance to avoid repeated late-game dependency on Allen; Houston and Buffalo both demonstrated enough to be considered AFC threats; Baltimore will lean on Henry’s historic form as a foundation; and the Browns face pressure to reassess personnel decisions after a demoralising defeat.
