NFL Week 12 Thursday Night Football Recap | Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans

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2:47Nick Shook:Oh, for those who are fans of a pass-happy NFL, who like points on the scoreboard, the Houston Texans have a message for you. And that message is defense can be fun, too. The Texans take down the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night football 23-19 in a thrilling contest. I'm Nick Shook sitting in for Greg Rosenthal and joined by my favorite, the superstar herself, Jordan Roderick. Jordan, what a game.

3:18Jourdan Rodrigue:We got a Monsters, Inc. 23-19. 23-19. I'm so excited. I was telling Patrick and Greg that this was going to happen all season. We were going to get a score. Greg Rosenthal has never seen Monsters, Inc. I feel the fans need to pressure him. The listeners need to pressure him. He must now watch it as penance for not believing in the Houston Texans Like we were talking about Nick all week with this defense. This game was so, so fun. If you love defense, if you love weirdness, if you love games that get really, really crazy with slow periods in between and flurries of competence, it just, it was so much fun all around.

3:56Jourdan Rodrigue:This was amazing.

3:57Nick Shook:Oh, flurries of competence. What a way to describe the Houston Texans offense tonight. I mean, it didn't start with confidence necessarily because they ended up in a goal to go situation and settled for three, but they did find some openings and they capitalized late in this game and i think that's probably where we should start because earlier in this game the bills put together your typical touchdown drive it ends up in a in a long james cook touchdown run pretty status quo but the texans claw their way back into this game and really where things turned is just before halftime when they force a turnover and they cover 75 yards and they finish it and this is a six play drive mind you this is a two-minute drill executed to perfection by none other than the man himself davis mills and when it looks like they're going to come up short again on the goal line instead mills finds jaden higgins for a touchdown and suddenly the texans have a 20 to 16 lead going into halftime and if you listen to the final score it's 23 to 19 which tells the rest of the story because there weren't that many points in the second half thanks to this fantastic houston Texans defense Jordan I know that you love watching great defenses play and we got one tonight

5:04Jourdan Rodrigue:yeah this was so much fun you know to that point when the Texans started putting together actual drives on offense Davis Mills had only completed his second pass of the game with like nine and a half minutes left in the second half which tells you we say flurries of competence we mean flurries of confidence because in the last three minutes-ish of the second quarter, the Texans scored 17 points and took a 20-16 lead. And from there, their defense went to work. Nick, the Texans' defensive line sacked Josh Allen eight times tonight. That is, I believe, a career high for Josh Allen. Kalen Bullock, who iced the game, that was his second interception, and he also forced a fumble.

5:49Jourdan Rodrigue:I mean, this pressure that the Texans defense got didn't just alter the game. And obviously the Russian coverage was so complimentary because Josh Allen turned the ball over pretty uncharacteristically. In fact, he was being pressured so voraciously from play to play. The pressure was coming from the outside. It was coming from the inside. it was such a smart sequencing of design and tenacity. And these defensive linemen, they also, they were getting their arms free of the offensive linemen. They were batting Josh Allen's arm all the time to force him to tuck and pull the ball so he didn't want to make the throws.

6:28Jourdan Rodrigue:And the secondary and the linebackers were swarming behind it. It was artful, artful defense. And I have to say, this defense is magnificent. So often during this game, Nick, I found myself thinking, this Texans defense is truly beautiful to watch. It is magnificent if only they had an offense. And over and over again, you just kept thinking this because they kept giving the Bills chances to come back into this. But this defense, they have Josh Allen's number. He plays his worst football against the Houston Texans defense.

7:03Nick Shook:Yeah, yeah. Although I do think back to that one time when he took off for a run early in his career and bloodied up his arm. That was also in Houston, but that was years ago. That was a different Josh Allen. There's so many topics that you could drill down on within this defensive performance. You could talk about the fact that Josh consistently had nowhere to go. And the reason that he had nowhere to go wasn't just the pressure. It was also the way that Houston played coverage. Now, NextGenStats has it pretty even. There's actually more zone than man. But in the second half especially, all I saw was one safety up high, man coverage across the board.

7:35Nick Shook:and the Bills are trying to run crossers and everything else. They ran mesh a couple of times and the Texans properly picked it up, even though usually their cause is traffic that loses a defender. No problem for the Texans. And the easy layups that Allen is so used to getting were not there. So that was the first part. He had no quick decisions until that final drive when the Texans were playing a little softer. The other part of it was it's not just the usual suspects in pass rushing. And yes, of course, Will Anderson and Daniil Hunter, they definitely did their part. Will Anderson with two and a half sacks, Daniil Hunter with two.

8:05Nick Shook:But there were other players that came up in key spots throughout this game where Allen might escape the pocket to the right. And there's Henry To 'oto to meet him behind the line of scrimmage for a sack. He wasn't the only one. There was a number of other guys. Tim Settle getting a sack up the middle. What it was was Allen trying to navigate the pocket, looking for exit routes. And every time he thought he found one, there was a Texans defender. It was an incredible display of discipline, both on the back end and in the pass rush. And it neutralized the Bills offense that folks probably thought were going to put up a lot of points.

8:35Nick Shook:They put up, what, 42, 44 last week? Nope, 19 today. Because when you run into a defense that has talent at all three levels, and especially a safety in Kalen Bullock, who had a hell of a night, and you have a defense that plays disciplined football, is well-coached, then it's going to make everything real difficult for you. And like you said, if the Texans had an offense, this would be a legit Super Bowl contender because this defense is elite. It's special. It's one that we're going to remember for a while.

8:59Jourdan Rodrigue:Yeah, I'm curious if you saw the same thing as me too, Nick, because it was like when this group was pass rushing, and when I say that, it's not just their front that does it. I know that sometimes the broadcast in the pregame had some fun with D 'Amico Ryans and his swarm catchphrase, and what does it mean? And I'm like, watch the game. That's what it means. Because what they were doing as a collective, this wasn't just the front interior and exterior, which was amazing, but also every single layer. they were almost reading the inverse of Josh Allen's own reads. When they were looking, when Josh Allen was looking for places to go, it's like they were also looking for the same lanes to either run or to throw that Josh Allen himself was looking at.

9:46Jourdan Rodrigue:That is incredible film study. That is instinctive football. That is smart scheme. That from Matt Burke, the defensive coordinator, that is also just a tenacious, exquisitely talented group of players that even when things got so crazy at the end, Nick, so crazy at the end, again, in one of these Texans games, and you just had confidence that they were going to make a goal line stand even when we saw one of the most unbelievable plays I think we've seen in a game all season.

10:17Nick Shook:Yeah, you know, when Houston was kind of, I wouldn't say playing with their food, but allowing the Bills to stay in the game in the fourth quarter, I thought, oh no, this is going to be how heartbreak happens. And when they cut it to a four-point lead, I thought, oh no, here comes the heartbreak. but that defense gives you the confidence as a viewer. And if you're a Texans fan that if, if they're going to lose, they're going to make it really difficult for the other team to break their hearts. Like you're not just going to get a free shot at them. You're gonna have to really work for it. And the bills were working for it.

10:42Nick Shook:And their only lifeline in the passing game, especially in the fourth quarter was finding Khalil Shakir. You know, you had, you had no Dalton Kincaid out there, Keon Coleman inactive for a second straight week. So his options, Josh Allen's options are limited and it ended up being throw it to Shakir in the flat and a little bit of open space and make guys miss. And he did a lot down the right sideline in that fourth quarter, which is really what put them in a position to potentially win this game. But ultimately, it was the same things that we just talked about. Allen being under duress often, really just never feeling comfortable in the pocket.

11:10Nick Shook:And a player like Kalen Bullock stepping in to make the game ceiling interception that we listened to. Just a phenomenal play, but not the only play and not the only contribution from a defender on the Texans defense. We think about Aziz Alshire. Like this guy has a bit of a reputation after what he did to Trevor Lawrence last year, right? He plays hard. He plays a million miles an hour. He hits players hard. And he brought that to the field tonight to the point where I think there was a fumble at one point and an offensive lineman picked it up. It may, I think it was one of the tackles and he went to tackle him just to make sure that he was down.

11:43Nick Shook:And you see him stand up and like pat his helmet. Like, hey, man, I just had to make sure you were tackled. Well, that was him being peaceful, being, you know, extending an olive branch. He was not peaceful for most of this game. He tips a pass early in this game that ends up in the arms of Kalen Bullock for the first interception that really started to swing the game in their favor. It was another example of how they're not just their stars. They're not just Derek Stingley. They are a full unit that comes through in the biggest spots. But you're right. One of the craziest plays we've seen all season on that final drive.

12:10Nick Shook:It's fourth and 27. I know there's an old play in Eagles lore that Donovan McNabb converted. But this one stands right up there, even though it's not in the playoffs. It's a hook and lateral. Hook and ladder. Depending on what your terminology is, it worked regardless. It caught the Texans who were playing in a bit of a prevent look, playing very soft, back toward the line to gain, gave them space underneath to make the play. And of course, Joe Brady digs into the bag of tricks and calls it the perfect time, and it catches the outside corner on the right side off guard, opens up another lane for Shakir to make a big gain down the sideline, which it felt like he was doing the entire fourth quarter.

12:43Nick Shook:And that's really what put us in this position for this game to come down to a final defensive stand. A thrilling play. I have to ask you, Jordan, before we move forward, which term do you use to describe this? Because I've always been confused or at least conflicted on which one I want to use.

12:56Jourdan Rodrigue:I just say Chris Peterson, you know? Boise State, yeah. That's what I say, yeah. And I posted this too. I was like, Chris Peterson on line one because that is one of those plays. I think I'm pretty sure that you and I are the same age as Joe Brady, Nick.

13:11Nick Shook:Yeah, I think so, yeah.

13:12Jourdan Rodrigue:Yeah, which is wild to think about. It's a lot of responsibility. but also but it's like we grew up with that lore right like we grew up knowing you know about the Boise State upset and the Fiesta Bowl and the hook and ladder and I call it the hook and ladder and I know it's a you know you can go either way but like it was one of those plays that you run you really don't want to show that at any other point other than a moment of pure and absolute

13:37Nick Shook:desperation unless unless you're Ben Johnson with the Lions last year but that was a unique case

13:41Jourdan Rodrigue:You just do it whenever you want. I thought that it was special for Khalil Shakir that he had an opportunity to possibly win the game just days after he and his wife had a baby girl. And so there was all this poetry setting up for this Josh Allen, you know, multiple turnovers and getting hit so much and shaking his hand out because he kept landing on his hand because he was trying to protect the football underneath his body every time he would get hit. And there was just this feeling that you're like, okay, if Josh Allen is going to go into the same kind of God mode we saw last week, then this would be the moment that he does it.

14:18Jourdan Rodrigue:But it's an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. And the immovable object wins, in this case, the Texans defense. I can't speak highly enough for you mentioned some of the little details you saw about just how technically sound they are in some of the little moments. Like Daniil Hunter at one point on a sack unclenched his arms from around Josh Allen's legs because his body was getting turned by a lineman who was rolling backwards. And if Daniil Hunter would have still stayed holding on to Josh Allen's legs, he probably would have gotten flagged for a hip drop. and instead he unclapses his arms and the second that Josh Allen's feet are clear of the role he claps back on so it's like those little things that this is like the smartest freaking defense it's why I picked them I know it's embarrassing but because of this offense but I picked them to be Super Bowl contenders because at the beginning of the season because this defense has just this elite professionalism and this athleticism for Will Anderson Jr.

15:19Jourdan Rodrigue:to miss the sack on Josh Allen diving and stretching out the first time, run 51.7 yards according to NextGenStats to then get to Josh Allen and take him to the turf. That is some Aaron Donald S, man. And I wrote it out in my notes. I'm not going to make Chris Pabona edit it tonight. But that is some crazy, crazy stuff. And that is what this defense can be. I'm glad they got to show it on primetime. Sure wish they had an offense, but, you know, it's fits and starts. You know, we take what we can get.

15:52Nick Shook:Yeah, and the Texans will take what they can get for sure because they're in a process right now where they're trying to climb out of the deficit in the hole that they dug themselves early in this season. And as we got to the fourth quarter of this game tonight, and I contemplated the idea of the Bills coming back and winning, I thought, if the Bills are going to win, it's going to be a culture win, and it's going to be just a red mark on the Texans' resume as a team that has a good defense but isn't good enough to beat teams like this. But now that we watched it conclude in the fashion that it did, I'm almost tempted to say that it's a culture creating or establishing win for these Texans.

16:27Nick Shook:Because if we back up a little bit, before Houston takes a 20 to 16 lead into halftime, they had just put up 10 points in a matter of minutes, right? It's 13 to 9. They had to settle for 3 after the turnover on the goal line. Can't convert all the time. Buffalo gets it right back with a fantastic kick return touchdown by Ray Davis and one that I want to take a listen to here. 156 left in the half. Kick is going to go to Davis who fields it at the two out to the 10, 15, coming up the middle, 25, bounces off a tackle, spins, and he's out to the 40, cuts it back 50. He's going to go the distance.

17:08Happy birthday, Ray Davis, all the way for a flip into the end zone for a touchdown.

17:16Nick Shook:Now that is a massive play that could take the soul from a team that had just clawed its way into the lead. You know, you think, all right, we're playing great defense. We got something out of our offense for once. All the momentum's in our favor. Boom, punch to the gut. Just like that, you're trailing again. And I think at that point, I was settled in for a title contender type of fight, a heavyweight bout for 12 rounds, four quarters. Here we go, back and forth, some weird stuff's happening. Ray Davis runs into his own blocker, and that's what frees him up to take it 97 yards for a touchdown kick return.

17:50Nick Shook:And yet the Texans weren't really bothered by that. They responded. And that's why I think that, yes, their defense defines their team, but it's the ability to fight back. Yes, you have home field advantage. You're wearing your fancy sparkly when it comes to the helmet, all red jerseys. You're on prime time. It's a special night. But this is like where this team is, why I'm starting to believe in them. and shout out to Davis Mills for doing a good enough job to move the football with this team. He's come through in the clutch a couple of times now, that win, that comeback win over Jacksonville, that two-minute drive tonight to put points on the board before halftime.

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