The Buffalo Bills and their “X-factors” continue their 2025 NFL season with a matchup against the Houston Texans on Thursday in Week 12 at NRG Stadium.
While game plans, coaching, and strategy will play a part, but sometimes a big emphasis will sit with some individual players. In terms of the Bills offense, who could those be?
Here are Bills Wire’s three potential X-factors on the Bills (7-3) offense against the Texans (5-5):
RB James Cook
Because of the successes of the defensive line, Houston’s the top defense in 2025. The Texans are the No. 1 defense in the NFL, only allowing 258.1 yards per game.
While the Bills won last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Cook had a subpar stat line, it’s clear that the Bills perform better on offense when Cook has a good game.
Cook needs to have a bounce-back effort.
WR Gabe Davis
Davis made his 2025 Bills debut against the Bucs last week and was successful. He had three catches for 40 yards. Can Davis help quarterback Josh Allen extend the field? That might make everything easier for the offense.
Danielle Hunter leads the Texans with nine sacks but it’s Will Anderson who is named the third-best pass rusher in the NFL by Pro Football Focus who should line up across from Brown. To his credit, Anderson does have eight sacks himself and Brown must give Allen time to work even with such a difficult matchup ahead of him.
Then there’s also the chance Brown faces Hunter, too.
Brown could be up to the task, though. PFF grades Brown as the NFL’s 11th best offensive tackle in the NFL currently and the Bills’ best offensive lineman.