The Thursday night NFL clash between the Houston Texans and the Buffalo Bills was a **tense** affair, packed with injuries, including one to an official. **Referee** Adrian Hill had to leave the field due to a non-contact **injury** in the third quarter of the Texans’ 23-19 **lead** at NRG Stadium. Hill was limping after the play, and the game was stopped for medical staff to **assess** his condition before the decision was made for him to leave the contest. The **head official** who managed the crew that evening was replaced by **referee** Roy Ellison, **leaving** the umpire position vacant for the remainder of the game. The rest of the evening was no less **strenuous**: the Texans’ vaunted defense—**ranked** first entering Thursday in fewest points allowed and total defense—lived up to its **billing** by **battering** Bills quarterback Josh Allen and the entire Buffalo **offensive** line throughout the game. Allen—who had a phenomenal game on Sunday with six touchdowns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—**endured** a tough night, completing 24 of 34 passes for 253 yards, with two interceptions and no touchdowns, and was **sacked** eight times, a career-worst. Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said, “The credit goes first and foremost to our defensive **line**. It’s the way they **take** the field, the way those guys relentlessly attack the passer, and how everybody in the back end plays together. “When we do that, it’s hard to **move** the ball against us, so our guys are **performing** exceptionally well.” Texans safety Jalen Bullock was the **main** hero of the night, forcing three turnovers—two interceptions and one **fumble** recovery—including the game-sealing interception with 24 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir **fumbled** the ball after being hit by Bullock. Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir fumbled the ball after being hit by Bullock. Ashley Landis/AP **Explosive** First Half The game started on a high note for the Bills, **as** Buffalo jumped out to an early 6-0 lead after James Cook **broke** through the middle of the Texans’ defense for an incredible 45-yard touchdown run. The teams traded field goals, **then** Houston—playing without starting quarterback C.J. Stroud for the third straight game due to the concussion protocol—got a **boost** from its backup **play-caller**. Davis Mills **threw** a short, two-yard touchdown pass to an open Christian Kirk to put the Texans ahead 10-9 after the extra point. Bullock then **had** his first interception of the evening, **returning** it for what seemed like a touchdown, but a flag was thrown on defensive end Daniel Hunter for a blindside block on the play. Houston ultimately **settled** for another field goal to extend the lead, but Buffalo **answered** with an explosive special teams play. Ray Davis **caught** the ensuing kickoff, **bouncing** off a teammate and turning toward the sideline, before **taking** it 97 yards for a **forward somersault** into the end zone to return the lead to the Bills with 1:43 left in the half. The fireworks in the Lone Star **State** were far from over, as the Texans executed the two-minute drill perfectly, and Mills **threw** his second touchdown of the day to Jayden Higgins, capping a six-play, 75-yard drive to put Houston up 20-16 at halftime. Houston wideout Jayden Higgins had four receptions for 38 yards and a touchdown. Houston wideout Jayden Higgins had four receptions for 38 yards and a touchdown. Eric Christian Smith/AP **Heroics** in Crunch Time The third quarter started slowly, with neither team **doing** much until Bullock struck again. The Houston safety **jarred** a fumble loose from Bills receiver Khalil Shakir after he made a catch with 4:15 left in the quarter, leading to another field goal from Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn to make it 23-16 in favor of the **hosts**. The Bills **cut** the lead to four points with a field goal with 5:44 left **in** the game, and then came the critical time. With 49 seconds remaining, Allen threw on fourth-and-27 to Josh Palmer, who then **lateraled** it to Shakir to convert and **put** the Bills dangerously close to the red zone and **cause** Texans fans to start worrying. Following a nine-yard run surrounded by two incompletions, Buffalo **faced** another fourth down with the game **hanging** in the balance, and Allen lined up in shotgun formation. The league’s **reigning** MVP stepped back and **threw** off his back foot, but the ball was intercepted by Houston hero Bullock, **securing** the victory with his pick. — Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) November 21, 2025 Later, Texans coach Ryans **expressed** his relief over how the game ended, praising Bullock for his **heroic** efforts: “Kalen **went** out there and got two interceptions, forced a fumble to put us in good territory. “There were a lot of emotions on the sideline **during** that (last) drive, but Kalen getting the interception was my favorite part—because it **meant** it was over.” “To **become** a reality, to show up on a stage like Thursday night—it’s a dream. We are the only team, everyone is watching, the whole world is watching, so the dream **came true**,” Bullock, who received the game ball, told ESPN. With the win, Houston will **move to** 6-5 for the season, **securing** them third place in the AFC South, while the Bills **drop** to 7-4 and second place in the AFC East, where they risk **losing** ground to the surprisingly struggling New England Patriots.
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