Allen finds Palmer late, Rousseau finishes as Bills beat Texans 36-31

Joshua Palmer needed one catch to decide Buffalo's season opener. Greg Rousseau needed one more strip-sack to make it stick.

Josh Allen found Palmer for a 34-yard touchdown with 1:36 remaining Sunday, and Rousseau ended Houston's answer by knocking the ball away from C.J. Stroud. Terrel Bernard recovered, sealing a 36-31 Bills victory and a winning start for new head coach Joe Brady.

Allen finished 20 of 29 for 334 yards, throwing two touchdowns and running for two more. But Buffalo still needed to travel 96 yards late in the fourth quarter, then survive a Texans possession that reached the Bills' 9-yard line.

A 96-yard answer

Houston led 31-30 when Buffalo took over at its own 4 with 3:13 left. The possession nearly went wrong immediately: James Cook fumbled after a 12-yard run, but O'Cyrus Torrence recovered for Buffalo.

Allen moved the ball through short completions before Dalton Kincaid gained 35 yards to Houston's 33. A run lost a yard, and Allen missed Palmer in the end zone. On the next snap, the quarterback found him over the middle for the winning touchdown. Buffalo's two-point attempt failed, leaving Houston within a touchdown.

The Bills' official recap details how close the response came. Stroud got Houston inside the 10 before Deone Walker's nine-yard sack pushed the Texans backward. After an incompletion, Rousseau stripped Stroud on third down. It was Rousseau's second forced fumble of the afternoon; Ed Oliver had recovered the first.

Buffalo’s official clip shows Allen finding Palmer for the go-ahead touchdown.

The NFL’s original clip captures Rousseau forcing the final fumble and Buffalo securing the win.

Kincaid and Moore give Allen room

Palmer supplied the last touchdown after Kincaid and DJ Moore did much of the work moving Buffalo downfield. Kincaid caught five passes for 130 yards. Moore added five receptions for 100 yards and a 43-yard touchdown in his Bills debut.

Buffalo Rumblings' Sean Murphy singled out Kincaid's ability to stay available when Allen moved outside the pocket. His 38-yard catch helped Buffalo score before halftime, and the late 35-yard gain put the winning possession into scoring range. That production gave Allen dependable options through a game with repeated lead changes.

David Montgomery nearly delivered Houston a debut win of his own. He rushed for touchdowns from 1 and 18 yards, then caught a seven-yard scoring pass early in the fourth quarter to put the Texans ahead 28-27. He finished with 60 rushing yards and three total touchdowns.

Tyler Bass answered with a 33-yard field goal. Ka'imi Fairbairn's 58-yarder restored Houston's lead with 6:44 remaining. Stroud finished with 274 passing yards and two touchdowns, but his two lost fumbles gave Buffalo the opening and closing stops it needed.

The Bills return home to face Detroit on Thursday, Sept. 17. They will open their new stadium at 1-0 after their first victory in Houston since 2006.