BILLS HAMMER TEXANS
11 critical observations from Texans' 40-0 loss to Bills
Oct 3, 2021, 5:37 pm
Bills crush Texans. Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images.
The Houston Texans were smashed by the Bills in Buffalo for the worst loss in franchise history. Here are 11 observations from the bludgeoning in Buffalo.
1. There is no rhythm to this offense. It can't run the ball. Davis Mills can't process the information fast enough to decide where to go with the ball when he has multiple reads and that's if someone gets open. Tyrod Taylor has never been more missed by an offense.
2. Davis Mills is stuck between having his training wheels on and having them off. The team didn't seem to trust him much in the red zone after an interception but later he was letting it fly and getting intercepted. Quick work was dangerous too as Mills hit a few tighter windows in the second half but one turned into a fumble.
3. David Culley will lament the turnovers, and sure they can't turn the ball over. The Texans looked bad on drives that ended in punts too. After the game, Culley explained the team wasn't ready to play and he took responsibility for that aspect of the loss.
4. Davis Mills felt like he was trying to do too much more than a few times. It is understandable considering competing with the Bills required points, but Mills tried a little too hard on some plays. There were a few times he passed up easy completions to take a chance.
5. How Davis Mills bounces back will matter more than the poor performance in this game. Mills can't look worse than he did today, but how much better can he look?
6. Tim Kelly disappointed after the team was gifted an interception. Deep in Bills territory, he ran the ball three times before trying a Mills rollout that saw the pass batted down. It was analytically the right move to go for it, but the way the team arrived at the fourth down and what they called was underwhelming.
7. The Tytus Howard at left guard experiment has been underwhelming. Howard doesn't get the push at left guard you would expect. Howard had a killer holding call early. This doesn't look like it is changing, but it visually needs to improve as Howard is one of the young pieces the team should be able to count on this year.
8. Even when the game was closer, the rushing attack is still a disaster for this team. Phillip Lindsay rarely has a positive play for this team carrying the ball.
9. The defense deserves some credit for their first-half performance. The Bills had very favorable field positions and the defense was able to force a handful of field goals and even stopped the Bills on a fourth-down try. Yes, the Bills got going in the second half, but the first half with some useful offense might have looked a bit different.
10. A small bright spot was the play early of Kamu Grugier-Hill filling in for Zach Cunningham who missed Sunday's game. Grugier-Hill surely should factor into the long-term plans for this team.
11. The lowest point of the season so far, and there needs to be a lot of work to make sure this remains the lowest point. Tyrod Taylor is out for at least another game, so Davis Mills and the offense have to bounce back against a Patriots team that is very challenging for rookie quarterbacks.
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Nick Chubb didn’t expect to be a Houston Texan. At least, not until he got the call on a quiet Saturday at home and was on a flight the next day. It happened fast — too fast, even, for the four-time Pro Bowler to fully process what it all meant. But now that he’s here, it’s clear this wasn’t a random landing spot. This was a calculated leap, one Chubb had been quietly considering from afar.
The reasons he chose Houston speak volumes not only about where Chubb is in his own career, but where the Texans are as a franchise.
For one, Chubb saw what the rest of the league saw the last two seasons: a young team turning the corner. He admired the Texans from a distance — the culture shift under head coach DeMeco Ryans, the explosive rise of C.J. Stroud, and the physical tone set by players like Joe Mixon. That identity clicked with Chubb. He’d been a fan of Ryans for years, and once he got in the building, everything aligned.
“I came here and saw a bunch of guys who like to work and not talk,” Chubb said. “And I realized I'm a perfect fit.”
As for his health, Chubb isn’t running from the injuries that cost him parts of the past two seasons, he’s owning them. But now, he says, they’re behind him. After a full offseason of training the way he always has — hitting his speed and strength benchmarks — Chubb says he’s feeling the best he has in years. He’s quick to remind people that bouncing back from major injuries, especially the one he suffered in 2023, is rarely a one-year journey. It takes time. He’s given it time.
Then there’s his fit with Mixon. The two aren’t just stylistic complements, they go way back. Same recruiting class, same reputation for running hard, same respect for each other’s games. Chubb remembers dreading matchups against the Bengals in Cleveland, worrying Mixon would take over the game. Now, he sees the opportunity in pairing up. “It’ll be us kinda doing that back-to-back against other defenses,” he said.
He’s also well aware of what C.J. Stroud brings to the table. Chubb watched Stroud nearly dismantle Georgia in the College Football Playoff. Then he saw it again, up close, when Stroud lit up the Browns in the postseason. “He torched us again,” Chubb said. Now, he gets to run alongside him, not against him.
Stroud made a point to welcome Chubb, exchanging numbers and offering support. It may seem like a small thing, but it’s the kind of leadership that helped sell Chubb on the Texans as more than just a good football fit — it’s a good locker room fit, too.
It appears the decision to come to Houston wasn’t part of some master plan. But in retrospect, it makes perfect sense. Chubb is a player with a no-nonsense work ethic, recovering from adversity, looking to write the next chapter of a career that’s far from over. And the Texans? They’re a team on the rise, built around guys who want to do the same.
You can watch the full interview in the video below.
And for those wondering how Joe Mixon feels about Nick Chubb, check out this video from last season. Let's just say he's a fan.
I’ve seen some speculation indicating that Joe Mixon may not be happy the Texans signed Nick Chubb. If that is what you believe, watch this clip from an interview with @greenlight pod last year & get back to me. pic.twitter.com/3vaip85esj
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) June 11, 2025
*ChatGPT assisted.
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