With Sunday’s game hanging in the balance at Houston’s Reliant Stadium, one coach made sure to use one of the best running backs in the league. The other didn’t.
The Texans improved to an AFC-best 7-1 record behind a balanced effort on the offensive side of the ball. QB Matt Schaub (19 of 27, 268 yards, two touchdowns) and RB Arian Foster (111 yards, TD) led the way for the Texans, who overcame a slow start to defeat the Bills 21-9.
The pass-happy Bills (3-5) were unable to find the end zone, going 0 for 3 in the red zone and scoring on only three field goal attempts. Their inconsistent play on offense was in part due to a lack of touches for RB C.J. Spiller, who averaged 7.3 yards per carry heading into the game. Spiller looked explosive in limited opportunities but finished with only six carries for 39 yards (along with five receptions for 63 yards). Buffalo’s other top RB, Fred Jackson, had just six carries for 21 yards.
“We would like to [get C.J. the ball], and we’ve got to try to do that on a more consistent basis,” Bills coach Chan Gailey said. “Some weeks are better than others. ... They surprised us with a defense we hadn’t seen that much, and we had to alter. I’ve got to do a better job of adjusting.”
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick said, “The story of the day for us, we’ve got to get C.J. more touches. I think everybody knows that, and we’ve got to find ways to do that.”
When the game turned: The Texans were sluggish in the first half but opened up the second half with authority. It took them only five plays in the second quarter to go up 14-6 on a 3-yard run from Foster, and they were fully in charge after that.
Highlight moments: The entire Bills defense was fooled on Houston’s first touchdown, a misdirection pass to TE Owen Daniels for 39 yards. Bills DT Alex Carrington had his second field-goal block of the year, tipping a 46-yard attempt in the second quarter.
Top-shelf performances:
- Texans RB Foster -- 24 carries for 111 yards, one TD
- Texans QB Schaub -- 19 of 27 for 268 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions
- WR Andre Johnson -- 8 receptions for 118 yards
What the Bills said about their red-zone struggles:
- Fitzpatrick -- “Really, the story for us was just our inability to score touchdowns. We had three field goals and another field-goal attempt. Something this team over the last few years has been good at is converting those drives into seven points, not three. To me, that’s where our issue was today.”
- Gailey -- “They converted their drives into touchdowns and we didn’t. We both made some plays during the course of the game, but they were able to get the ball in the end zone and we weren’t able to get the ball into the end zone. That’s the bottom line.”
- Numbers you should know: The Bills had trouble staying on the field on offense, converting just 2 of 11 third-down attempts. The Texans dominated the time of possession, 34:03 to 25:57.
Injury update: Bills -- CB Aaron Williams was carted off with a knee injury. Williams struggled in coverage against Johnson, and the injury appears to be serious.
Going forward: Bills -- It doesn’t get any easier for Buffalo, who head to New England next week before a Thursday night home game against Miami. Texans -- The Texans have one of their most difficult games next on the schedule, a road trip to Chicago. After that, Houston is home to Jacksonville.
For more updates on the Bills, follow correspondent Mark Ludwiczak on Twitter @CBSBills and @MarkLud12.