Bills cracked Texans’ dominant defense. Takeaways from wild AFC tilt

Maybe Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. wasn't being hyperbolic after all.

The prolific pass rusher and 2025 runner-up for NFL Defensive Player of the Year set up his team's Week 1 showdown against the Buffalo Bills by saying it was an "AFC Championship matchup." That unquestionably was lofty framing for two franchises that have combined for one appearance in the game in the last five years.

Sunday's 36-31 win by the Bills, however, served as a reminder of just how formidable both Buffalo and Houston can be when at peak form. The back-and-forth affair featured eight lead changes and never seemed in hand until the very end.

Each team leaves the tilt with additional reason to believe a breakthrough could be ahead, as well as several things to work on in order to reach the conference title game stage.

Here are the key takeaways from the matchup:

Last November, Anderson and Danielle Hunter combined for 4 ½ of the eight sacks on Josh Allen that powered the Texans' 23-19 win over the Bills. On Sunday, the league's best edge-rushing duo didn't make much of a dent until late in the fourth quarter. Anderson had just a half-sack while…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/sports/