{"id":192670,"date":"2024-10-05T10:00:05","date_gmt":"2024-10-05T14:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=192670"},"modified":"2024-10-04T17:31:56","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T21:31:56","slug":"bills-texans-preview-stefon-diggs-buffalo-houston","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/10\/05\/bills-texans-preview-stefon-diggs-buffalo-houston\/","title":{"rendered":"Bills vs. Texans Preview: Will Stefon Diggs Break Buffalo&#8217;s Spirit?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Buffalo Bills stood atop the NFL mountain one week ago. They were 3-0, and quarterback <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/09\/24\/josh-allen-mvp-biggest-hurdles-buffalo-bills-qb\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Josh Allen<\/a> was the consensus MVP favorite. Now, after a beatdown from the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/ravens\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Baltimore Ravens<\/a>, they&#8217;re in a precarious position ahead of a meeting with former teammate <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/06\/07\/stefon-diggs-josh-allen-trade-bills-texans\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Stefon Diggs<\/a> and the Houston Texans.<\/p>\n<p>Diggs spent four mostly productive years in Buffalo before his <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/10\/02\/buffalo-bills-davante-adams-trade-rumors-stefon-diggs\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">relationship turned sour<\/a> with Allen and the organization. He&#8217;s off to a strong start with the Texans, tallying three total touchdowns in four games, and he&#8217;d probably love nothing more than to have a monster performance against the reeling Bills.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stefondiggs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@stefondiggs<\/a> takes the handoff for his 1st career rushing TD!<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcfa: <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/JAXvsHOU?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#JAXvsHOU<\/a> on CBS\/Paramount+<br \/>\ud83d\udcf1: <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/waVpO909ge\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/waVpO909ge<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/t6zbg6u5At\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/t6zbg6u5At<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NFL (@NFL) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NFL\/status\/1840441429480603901?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 29, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Allen and Co. desperately need a bounce-back showing in order to prove the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/10\/01\/bills-reality-check-baltimore-ravens-buffalo-major-questions\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">lopsided loss<\/a> to the Ravens wasn&#8217;t a sign of things to come. A difficult stretch of their schedule leaves them in serious danger of losing all of their early-season progress.<\/p>\n<p>Kickoff for Sunday&#8217;s game at Houston&#8217;s NRG Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on CBS.<\/p>\n<h2>Bills-Texans Game Preview and Score Prediction (Week 5)<\/h2>\n<h3>X-Factors<\/h3>\n<h4>Bills: RB James Cook<\/h4>\n<p>Like Buffalo, Houston&#8217;s only loss so far this season was a blowout. A 34-7 dismantling by the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/vikings\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Minnesota Vikings<\/a>. Running back Aaron Jones was key for the Vikes in that Week 3 matchup, tallying 148 yards and a touchdown on 24 touches (6.2 yards per touch).<\/p>\n<p>The Bills need a similar efficient, pace-setting performance from Cook on Sunday. The 25-year-old Miami native found the end zone four times in the team&#8217;s first three games. He wasn&#8217;t able to get heavily involved against the Ravens, however, finishing with just 10 touches.<\/p>\n<p>Buffalo&#8217;s entire offensive focus this season has surrounded balance\u2014an <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/09\/25\/everybody-eats-inside-phrase-fueling-buffalo-bills-josh-allen\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">&#8220;everybody eats&#8221; approach<\/a>. So perhaps it&#8217;s no surprise the one game it wasn&#8217;t able to establish a well-rounded attack is the one that went sideways. It doesn&#8217;t have enough game-changing weapons in the passing game to play one-dimensional football.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"qme\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83c\udf7d\ufe0f <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/t6k8NavqL9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/t6k8NavqL9<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NFL (@NFL) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NFL\/status\/1838364563445874888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 23, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Cook should be able to find some running lanes against the Texans. Houston&#8217;s defense is allowing 4.7 yards per carry, which is tied for 24th in the NFL.<\/p>\n<p>So, given the favorable matchup and how last week&#8217;s game got away from Buffalo when it didn&#8217;t establish the run, this is a game where Cook should see 20-plus touches. Otherwise, it&#8217;ll probably be a sign the game has gotten away from the Bills again.<\/p>\n<h4>Texans: DT Tim Settle Jr.<\/h4>\n<p>Diggs isn&#8217;t the only player having a reunion with the Bills on Sunday. Settle spent the past two years in Buffalo. The veteran defensive tackle started his NFL with four seasons as a member of the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/washington-commanders\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Washington Commanders<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The 27-year-old Virginia Tech product is seemingly finding a comfort zone in Houston. He&#8217;s already matched his sack total (two) in 32 games for the Bills in just four outings with his new team. He&#8217;s also chipped in seven total tackles.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Texans DT Tim Settle is T-2nd on the team with 2.0 sacks, only trailing DE Will Anderson Jr. who has 2.5 sacks.<\/p>\n<p>Also, I completely forgot that 36-year old DE Jerry Hughes re-signed with Houston this summer.<\/p>\n<p>Some familiar faces, other than just Stefon Diggs! <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BillsMafia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#BillsMafia<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Kevin Siracuse (@kevin_siracuse) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kevin_siracuse\/status\/1841513409465962827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 2, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Houston needs a strong performance from its defensive interior on Sunday. Not only is slowing down Cook early important, but Baltimore was able to get a push up the middle against Allen, and it caused Buffalo to change its protections. The Ravens followed up with some edge blitzes that led to free rushers.<\/p>\n<p>The Texans will likely attempt to replicate that strategy. It&#8217;ll only be successful if their defensive tackles are able to win their one-on-one battles with the middle of the Bills&#8217; offensive line. Pressuring Allen through the A gaps is the one thing that&#8217;s consistently given him problems over the years.<\/p>\n<p>So, the onus is on Settle, Mario Edwards Jr. and Folorunso Fatukasi to have a standout showing for Houston.<\/p>\n<h3>Key Matchup<\/h3>\n<h4>Bills CB Christian Benford vs. Texans WR Stefon Diggs<\/h4>\n<p>Buffalo mixes up its defensive coverages and Houston has been moving its wide receivers around the formation, so this matchup likely won&#8217;t occur on every play. That said, it should happen quite a bit and it&#8217;ll be an intriguing battle when they do line up across from each other.<\/p>\n<p>Benford is in the conversation as the NFL&#8217;s most underrated cornerback. The 2022 sixth-round pick tallied 18 total tackles, two passes defended and an interception during the season&#8217;s first month. His <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pff.com\/nfl\/players\/christian-benford\/79181\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pro Football Focus<\/a> grades are among the position&#8217;s best:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Christian Benford among CBs this season:<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udd35 83.0 coverage grade (4th)<br \/>\ud83d\udd34 14.6 passer rating allowed (1st) <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rtZ8ZKgaqP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/rtZ8ZKgaqP<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; PFF BUF Bills (@PFF_Bills) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PFF_Bills\/status\/1841616939673616548?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 2, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Speed is the one thing that can give the 24-year-old corner some trouble. Diggs, 30, doesn&#8217;t have a ton of that at this stage of his career, however.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the main reason the Pro Bowl wideout is enjoying so much success with the Texans is having two other high-end wideouts around him. The double-team looks a few and far between with <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/10\/01\/week-5-wide-receiver-rankings-fantasy-football\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Nico Collins<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/10\/01\/metrics-that-matter-in-week-four-of-fantasy-football\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Tank Dell<\/a> also on the field.<\/p>\n<p>Although that&#8217;s not the only reason for Diggs&#8217; success\u2014he appears far more mentally engaged than he was last year in Buffalo\u2014it definitely helps. He&#8217;s not the same player he was in his prime, but he&#8217;s still capable of winning consistently against single coverage.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Bills?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Bills<\/a> HC Sean McDermott on facing Stefon Diggs this week.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;We respect Stef. We love Stef.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>&quot;Stef&#39;s playing at a high level. He was a really good player here and competitive&#8230;and he&#39;s highly competitive on tape as I watch.&quot;<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BillsMafia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#BillsMafia<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KssfRmjx6L\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/KssfRmjx6L<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Andy Young (@AndyYoungTV) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AndyYoungTV\/status\/1841539902590058576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 2, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Benford is light-years better than most of the cornerbacks Diggs has faced so far in 2024, though. So, while the Texans receiver would enjoy nothing more than to post an eye-popping stat line Sunday, he&#8217;s going to have to earn every yard to make it happen.<\/p>\n<h3>Final Score Prediction: 28-20 Texans<\/h3>\n<p>The Bills face a turning-point game Sunday. They weren&#8217;t as good as they appeared during their 3-0 start because of an injury-riddled roster. They aren&#8217;t as bad as they looked in last week&#8217;s mauling by the Ravens. So, what are they? The answer may come against the Texans.<\/p>\n<p>Injuries are still a concern, though. Linebacker Terrel Bernard and cornerback Taron Johnson are back at practice, but left tackle Dion Dawkins, wide receiver Khalil Shakir, and safety Taylor Rapp are now dealing with ailments. Sunday&#8217;s lineup is up in the air as a result.<\/p>\n<p>Add in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/41537496\/bills-qb-josh-allen-sore-fine-big-hit\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">banged-up<\/a> Allen and it&#8217;s tough to see the Bills keeping pace with Texans signal-caller C.J. Stroud and his plethora of offensive weapons. That&#8217;s especially true with Buffalo edge-rusher Von Miller <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/bills-olb-von-miller-suspended-four-games-for-violating-league-s-personal-conduct-policy\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">suspended<\/a> four games for a violation of the league&#8217;s personal conduct policy.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Asked Texans QB CJ Stroud about stepping on the field with <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Bills?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Bills<\/a> QB Josh Allen for first time. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/dtbbF5jVU3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/dtbbF5jVU3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Landry Locker (@LandryLocker) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LandryLocker\/status\/1841565265181487481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 2, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Houston should smell blood in the water. This is a game where a top-tier contender would elevate its game and take advantage of a wounded opponent, just like Baltimore did last week. The rest of the AFC should want to push Buffalo as far down the standings as possible before it potentially gets healthy.<\/p>\n<p>The Bills are going to play better this week. Head coach Sean McDermott typically gets his teams to rebound from losses quite well. Yet, at least on paper, this won&#8217;t be a matter of effort but rather talent. Buffalo is running low, particularly on defense, and Houston&#8217;s offense certainly is not.<\/p>\n<p>Bottom line: the Bills fight hard to keep it close, but the Texans pick up the win.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main Image: Thomas Shea &#8211; USA Today Sports<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stefon Diggs&#8217; former team, the Buffalo Bills, are in a vulnerable spot. Can the Houston Texans star amplify those growing concerns in Week 5?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5175,"featured_media":192853,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,14],"tags":[7705,7360,9058,2599,60],"class_list":["post-192670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bills","category-texans","tag-buffalo-bills-news","tag-houston-texans-news","tag-james-cook","tag-josh-allen","tag-stefon-diggs"],"modified_by":"Isaac Zuniga","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5175"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=192670"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192670\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}