Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick's expression speaks volumes as Buffalo lost 21-9 to Houston on Sunday. (US Presswire)

Not many expected the Bills to compete with Houston, the best team in the AFC, but there they were down 7-6 coming out of halftime in Week 9.

Instead of pushing the Texans to the limit with their potent running game, the Bills had only three rushing attempts in the second half -- that’s right, three -- on their way to a 21-9 defeat.

Offense: C-

Ryan Fitzpatrick wasn’t able to guide the Bills to any touchdowns, but he did show some improvement compared to his play earlier this season. Fitzpatrick went 25 of 38 for 239 yards and didn’t have any major mistakes, but he didn’t make many big plays either. RBs C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson did their best when given the opportunity; the problem was they didn’t have many of those opportunities (12 combined carries, 10 receptions). Previous game’s grade: B

Defense: C-

To everyone’s surprise, the Bills defense wasn’t completely lambasted in the running game. After allowing 197 yards to Chris Johnson in Week 7, Arian Foster ran for 111 yards in Week 9 -- though Foster did have some big runs when called upon. He still averaged 4.6 yards per carry, so the Bills won’t be mistaken for the Chicago Bears defense any time soon. Whether it was Aaron Williams or Stephon Gilmore, no Bills CB was able to cover Texans WR Andre Johnson (eight receptions for 118 yards). DE Mario Williams had one of his better games as a Bill against his former team (one sack, a team-best seven tackles). Previous game’s grade: F

Special teams: B+

Former third-round pick Alex Carrington has found a nice little niche for himself on special teams after blocking his second field goal of the season. P Shawn Powell had a 42.6 net average and dropped two punts inside the opposing 20. K Rian Lindell missed his first field goal attempt but connected on his next three (which came from 22, 38 and 39 yards out). Previous game’s grade: B

Coaching: D

Why did the Bills abandon the run so quickly? Down just one point to start the third quarter, the Bills went three-and-out with three consecutive incompletions to kick off the second half. Two of their next three drives were also three-and-outs that had no rushing attempts. They had only three rushing attempts in the entire second half, even as Spiller averaged 6.5 yards per carry. Coach Chan Gailey said after the game that the Bills stuck with the pass based on what the Texans were showing them on defense. At some point, the Bills need to start imposing their will on others in the ground game and utilize their top playmakers, no matter the circumstances. Previous game’s grade: C-

For more updates on the Bills, follow correspondent Mark Ludwiczak on Twitter @CBSBills and @MarkLud12.