The Bills have the daunting task of playing the best team in the AFC in the Houston Texans this week. On paper things do not look promising for the Bills. The Texans are good on both sides of the ball. Their offense is second in the league in points per game and they are going up against a Bills defense that gives up the most points per game in the league. Arian Foster despite nagging injuries all season is top 5 in the league in rushing. Their defense gives up the third least yards per game in the NFL and they have the league's sack leader in J.J. Watt with 9.5 sacks in seven games played. Despite how it looks, it is the job of a Bills fan to hold out hope that maybe a miracle could happen. So what are the key areas of the game the Bills would need to capitalize on?
Contain the run: Arian Foster is the real deal. The Texans will feed him the ball all day and keep biting off chunks of yards. Their success in the run game allows them to control the clock, wear down the opposing defense, and set up the play action passing attack. The Bills have been awful against the run this year. In their last game they took Chris Johnson, who was having a mediocre season at best, and made him look like he was back in 2009. The defensive line needs to take up blockers and the linebackers need to step up and fill their gaps, something they haven't done all season.
Mario's return: If there is one player that should be feeling the pressure this week it is Mario Williams. Scrutinized greatly so far for his poor play after signing a massive contract he now gets to go up against the team that let him walk. There is reason to be optimistic for increased production from Williams this week. During the bye week he had a procedure done on his injured wrist that has eliminated the pain and boosted his spirits greatly. He goes against a right tackle that was a late round pick last season and has struggled blocking rushers. We have heard this before but the matchup is favorable and the motivation is there, maybe this could be the week that super mario takes over.
Hairston for Pears: As much as the injury to right tackle Eric Pears looks like a blow to the offensive line it may require another look. Pears has actually struggled greatly this season. Now that Pears is out injured Chris Hairston, who looks like a solid right tackle option, steps in to face the vaunted Texans defense. Hairston has had his share of playing time and has held his own. He started last season at left tackle when Demetrius Bell went down with injury and more recently for Cordy Glenn. Hairston actually played most of the preseason and training camp with the first team at right tackle and it is reasonable to believe he could step in and not skip a beat. This could be a case of addition by subtraction.
Efficient Offence: To have any hope against this Texans defense Fitzpatrick and the Bills offense needs to be efficient. They need to limit the turnovers that have killed them in other games this year, most recently against the Titans. Utilize their strengths in the run game to create sustained drives of their own, keeping the defense on the field as little as possible. The Bills offensive line when healthy is one of the most underrated in the league. I have faith that they will be able to keep Fitz on his feet and open up holes for Spiller and Jackson to hit.
Prediction- as much as I love my football team there are just too many obstacles for them to overcome in this one. I would love for them to prove me wrong. Win this game and it could be the turning point for this generation of Bills players and fans. 'Any given Sunday' is the approach you should be taking for this game. I have believed in this saying far too many times for it to change my prediction. Texans- 37 Bills- 23
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