Week 8: Bills vs. Texans
at
Sunday, Nov. 1st
1:00pm ET
The Bills come back home in better shape than when they left. They won two straight games on the road and look to reverse the fortune of two straight losses at the Ralph. The Houston Texans come to town an inconsistent team with many weapons including an emerging underrated star in QB Matt Schaub.

FACTS AND FIGURES

Matchup: Buffalo (3-4) vs. Houston (4-3)
Place: Ralph Wilson Stadium
Television: CBS
Announcers: Ian Eagle and Rich Gannon
Spread: Texans by 3½
Series: Bills lead 3-1
Streak: Bills Won 2
Last Meeting: Bills 24-21 in Houston (2006)
Texans Offense: Rush (30th); Pass (3rd); overall (10th)
Texans Defense: Rush (21st); Pass (18th); overall (21st)
Bills Offense: Rush (15th); Pass (28th); overall (27th)
Bills Defense: Rush (32nd); Pass (10th); overall (24th)


INJURY UPDATE

Trent Edwards has been ruled out of his second straight game with a concussion suffered against the Jets. Kyle Williams and Corey McIntyre will also likely be sidelined with knee injuries suffered against Carolina. Jonathan Scott likely remains out with an ankle injury while Bryan Scott is hoping to return from one. Donte Whitner is also battling an ankle injury that kept him out of the Panthers game and he'll likely not return until after the bye. James Hardy is practicing but won't likely make his season debut until after the bye. Kawika Mitchell, Marcus Buggs, Leodis McKelvin, Derek Schouman, and Brad Butler are all on injured reserve.

The Texans big injury is to number one WR Andre Johnson who suffered a lung injury late in the win over San Francisco last week. He spent a night in the hospital but should be ready to play on Sunday. Brian Cushing is battling a foot injury while S Eugene Wilson has a groin injury. Both players should be questionable but Cushing is expected to play. LB DeMeco Ryans and DE Mario Williams are battling minor injuries but should play.

Check out our Bills Daily Injury Page throughout the week for the latest updates on the injured players.

KEY MATCHUPS

S Bryan Scott vs. TE Owen Daniels:
Scott should return this week and he will likely draw the assignment of Daniels. He leads the Texans in receptions and is one of the better tight ends in the lead. If Scott does not play either George Wilson or Chris Draft will likely matchup with him.

CB Terrence McGee vs. WR Andre Johnson:
McGee will matchup with Johnson who leads his team in receiving yards. Johnson suffered a lung injury last week but is expected to play. If McGee can keep Johnson in check it will go a long way in slowing down the Texans aerial attack.

DE Aaron Schobel vs. LT Duane Brown:
This appears to be a very winnable matchup for Schobel who leads the team with four sacks.

LT Demetrius Bell vs. DE Mario Williams:
The former number one overall pick in the draft battles a former last round pick. Williams has developed into one of the premier pass rushers in the league and Bell will have his hands full. He likely will get help from G Adam Levitre

RB Marshawn Lynch vs. LB Brian Cushing:
It appears Lynch has taken over the number one duties from Fred Jackson as he gets more of the carries Cushing is battling Jairus Byrd for defensive rookie of the year honors at this point. Cushing leads the team in tackles and forced fumbles.

WR Lee Evans vs. CB Jacques Reeves:
Evans has developed some good chemistry with Ryan Fitzpatrick and looks to continue to build on his recent success. He should be able to come up with a big play or two against Reeves.

GAME PLAN

When The Bills Have The Ball: Look for the Bills to continue to huddle up and hopefully they will try to establish the ground game to keep the pass rush at bay. Look for a few more draws and misdirection runs to open holes for the running backs since there hasn't been much room to roam recently.

When The Texans Have The Ball: Houston is a passing team as they try not to give the ball to their main RB Steve Slaton who is averaging just over three yards a carry and has fumbled six times. Schaub is a very good passer and will look to put it up early and often.

BILLS DAILY PREDICTION

I've been in a slump in picking Bills games recently but we I've had this game circled since the Cleveland game. This is the type of game the Bills win a lot with a dome team coming to Buffalo in November (yes it is November already). Since the Texans aren't a good running game so the Bills matchup well with them. I see a third straight win:
Bills 19, Texans 14

Season Prediction Record: (3-4)
Season Record Against The Spread: (3-4)

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