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HOUSTON, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 13: Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills reacts after 36-31 win against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on September 13, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen took a low hit in the team’s win over the Houston Texans on Sunday, and now the NFL is handing down punishment for the play.
The Bills prevailed in a shootout, winning 36-31 thanks to the heroics of Allen and a few well-timed stops from the otherwise overmatched defense. The Texans defense had trouble slowing Allen, who accounted for all four touchdowns in the win.
NFL Fines Texans Defensive Lineman
Texans defensive lineman Mario Edwards not only left the game with a loss, but also took a financial penalty for a low hit on Allen in the third quarter. The penalty helped push the Bills in range for a field goal.
Edwards has already been penalized by the league for the infraction. The Spotrac transaction wire showed on Tuesday that the Texans linebacker was fined $8,923 for the roughing-the-passer penalty against Allen.
Edwards was not the only Texans player to earn a fine for the game. The transaction wire showed that three other players — running back David Montgomery, right tackle Trenton Brown, and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaiir — were all fined for uniform violations.
Josh Allen’s Huge Game
Though Allen had been tormented by the Texans defense in past years — and the Bills had not won a game in Houston in more than two decades — the Bills quarterback made easy work of their secondary on Sunday.
Allen threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns and added another two rushing touchdowns.
The Bills quarterback is already earning some MVP buzz. Former NFL quarterback turned commentator Russell Wilson predicted that Allen would add a second MVP trophy to his case by the end of the season.
“I think that he has a definite chance to win it,” Wilson said on “Set Hut!” “I’m calling it out that he’s probably gonna win it this year, because I think he knows it’s time for the Buffalo Bills. New stadium … new coach. Obviously, the coach has been with him in Joe Brady, but I think it’s gonna make a difference this year.”
The Bills have a big test this week, facing a Detroit Lions team on short rest. The Bills will host the first-ever game at the new Highmark Stadium on Thursday night, a showdown between two of the league’s best offenses.
Like the Bills defense, the Lions struggled in a 31-30 overtime win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. They blew a 21-0 second-half lead, winning only when the stoped the Saints on a two-point conversion attempt in overtime.
Allen will get to face a depleted secondary, with the Lions placing starting safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph on the reserve/PUP list to start the season.
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty