Buffalo Bills (3-4) vs Houston Texans (4-3)
Sunday, November 1, 2009 at 1:00 PM ET
Ralph Wilson Stadium - Orchard Park, NY
I get lucky again this week. Last week, the Bills were playing an opponent in the Panthers whom they had only faced four time previously. That is the case again this week, as this will be the fifth-ever meeting between the Bills and the Houston Texans. The Bills have a 3-1 in the series, including victories in each of the last two games.
This weekend's matchup will, however, be the first ever meeting between the Bills and Texans that doesn't include David Carr. Carr had at least played, if not started, in all four previous matchups. This will be a tough game for the Bills, as this is clearly the best Texans team the Bills have faced. The last five four match-ups after the jump.
October 13, 2002: Bills 31, Texans 24
The first meeting between the Bills and Texans took a little help from a former Bill to give Buffalo the win. The Texans jumped out to a 17-3 lead before Travis Henry got the Bills rolling. Two straight rushing touchdowns by Henry helped the Bills tie up the game at 17. The Texans then resorted to some trickery, and RB James Allen hit tight end Billy Miller with a 5-yard scoring throw, and the Texans had the lead late in the fourth quarter. Former Bill Jay Foreman then committed an ill-advised unsportsmanlike penalty to help keep a stalled Bills drive alive, which resulted in an Eric Moulds touchdown pass from Drew Bledsoe to tie it up. Bledsoe then hit Peerless Price for another touchdown to give the Bills the win. Henry finished with 170 total yards and two scores. In true David Carr fashion, the Bills sacked Carr five times, with Justin Bannan, London Fletcher, Grant Irons, Keith Newman, and Chidi Ahanotu doing the honors.
November 16, 2003: Texans 12, Bills 10
Some seriously ugly stats in this one. The Bills got credit for two safeties - one in the first quarter after the ball was fumbled out of the end zone, and one as time expired when Andre Johnson ran out of the back of the end zone while killing the clock. Two Kris Brown field goals and two by Rian Lindell made up the rest of the scoring with the lone exception being a 46-yard Tony Banks-to-Andre Johnson touchdown play, but the Texans botched the conversion attempt. Buffalo again picked up four sacks in this one, with Sam Adams (2.0), Jeff Posey, and Terrance McGee doing the honors.
September 11, 2005: Bills 22, Texans 7
Four straight Rian Lindell field goals give the Bills a 12-0 lead early in this one, but Carr rallied the Texans win a one-yard dive to get them back into the game. J.P. Losman then hit Jason Peters (yes you are reading that correctly) on a short one-yard TD pass to boost the Bills' lead. Lindell then hit another field goal to cap the scoring. The Bills had five more sacks in this game, and three picks. Aaron Schobel (2.0), Jabari Greer, Takeo Spikes and Chris Kelsay picked up the sacks, and Lawyer Milloy (1) and Troy Vincent (2) nabbed the interceptions.
November 19, 2006: Bills 24, Texans 21
This is the game that J.P. Losman hit Lee Evans with two 83-yard touchdown bombs to open the scoring and give the Bills an early 14-0 lead. The Texans came back, of course, with two rushing touchdowns - one by Samkon Gado and one by Wali Lundy - sandwiched a Lindell field goal to narrow the margin to 17-14. Dunta Robinson was then handed a 9-yard pick-six by Losman to give the Texans the lead. Peerless Price then made an amazing catch late in the fourth quarter in the back of the end zone to give the Bills the win. Only two Bills sacks were picked up in this game, with Aaron Schobel and Larry Tripplett getting it done in this one.