Texans rally to beat Bills in wild overtime game to kick off wild-card weekend

HOUSTON — For nearly three quarters, Houston’s offense was stagnant. Anemic. Ineffective. It was an embarrassing offensive display.

Then Deshaun Watson got things going, leading an improbable comeback win over Buffalo.

In the waning minutes of the third quarter and in the fourth quarter, Watson ran and threw for a touchdown and had a hand in a pair of two-point conversions, rallying the Texans past the Bills, 22-19, in a wild overtime game Saturday to start wild-card weekend at NRG Stadium.

Houston, which had only three first-half possessions, overcame a 16-0 halftime deficit.

“They had the momentum. All we had to do was find our rhythm,” said Watson, who earned his first career playoff win after losing last season in the same round. “We just kept pushing. We keep fighting whether we’re up or down. That’s what the NFL playoffs is about. All that matters is that we came out with the winning score.”

The outcome wasn’t decided until Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 28-yard field goal. The winning kick was set up by a 34-yard catch-and-run to the Buffalo 10 by Taiwan Jones after Watson escaped extreme pressure on the Texans’ second possession of OT.

It appeared Watson was going to be sacked at his 48, but he got out of the grasp of a defender and found an open Jones.

“No one can make that play,” Texans defensive end J.J. Watt — who had a huge sack and was playing for the first time after missing the final eight games with a torn pectoral muscle — said of Watson. “He’s unbelievable. You’re never out of a game when he’s out there. It was a great win, but it’s still the first round. This isn’t the pinnacle. We want to keep playing.”

Buffalo sent the game into OT on Stephen Hauschka’s fourth field goal of the game, a 47-yarder with five seconds left in regulation that tied it at 19.

Buffalo outgained Houston 425-360. Watson was 20-for-25 for 247 yards and a 5-yard touchdown pass to Carlos Hyde to put the Texans ahead 17-16 in the fourth quarter. They made the two-pointer for a 19-16 lead. Watson had 55 yards on 14 carries and a 20-yard touchdown that put Houston on the board.

Buffalo was attempting to win a playoff game for the first time since December 1995. For Houston, the Texans are hopeful of an extended playoff run for a franchise that has struggled in home wild-card games over the years.

Behind quarterback Josh Allen, Buffalo built a 13-0 halftime lead, but after the Bills lost the lead late, they couldn’t regain the momentum. Allen completed 24 of 46 passes for 264 yards and caught a touchdown pass.

Watson was under constant pressure and was sacked six times, four in the first half. He was missing Will Fuller (groin), a deep threat, who was inactive, placing more responsibility on DeAndre Hopkins. He was held without a reception in the opening half.

“Our intensity has always been pretty high, even when we go three-and- out,” said Hopkins, who ended up with six catches for 90 yards but also fumbled, setting up a 38-yard field goal by Hauschka for a 16-0 lead.

Buffalo scored on the opening possession, capping a six-play, 75-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver John Brown to a wide-open Allen. Two plays earlier, Allen ran 42 yards to the 20.

Buffalo appeared to score a touchdown on the second-half kickoff on a fumble recovery in the end zone when Houston’s DeAndre Carter tossed the football forward and Buffalo’s Jaquan Johnson recovered. But the officials ruled the runner gave himself up, resulting in a touchback.

The Texans trailed 13-0 at halftime, the third time they’ve been shut out in the first half of a wild-card game under coach Bill O’Brien. But whatever he said at halftime worked.