Houston Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke talks about what the defense must do to limit Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in the Week 1 matchup on Sunday.
The Houston Texans enter the 2026 season with an opportunity to make a strong statement as they host the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, which could be a matchup that plays a major role in the playoff seeding at the end of the season.
The Texans defense in particular has a tough assignment in this game as they have to find a way to try to limit and if possible stop Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
With that in mind, during the media session on Thursday, Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke talked about what his defense must do in order to try to slow down Allen and the Bills' offense.
"Yeah. You know, doing the obvious, you know. Yeah. I mean, obviously he's a great player. You know, dangerous, you know, throughout the play. I mean, obviously, like, you know, a history of making offset plays and extending plays and creating explosives offset that, which is obviously a thing we've talked about a lot. So, I think the usual stuff of just trying to keep him from working his magic," Burke said.
"And he's got a lot of it and obviously has the big arm. I mean, we're you know, we've been working a lot on trying to limit explosives, and there's different ways that those things show up. And so, I think that's a big part of kind of starting point with their offense, and with Josh especially, just his ability to make huge plays in the passing game and the running game, to be honest with you, is where we got to start," Burke added.
Just like Burke said, Allen is a great player and definitely has the ability to make big plays as a passer just as much as a runner. Allen's legs, in particular, are an element of this game to really pay attention to.
To stop Allen's rushing, the defensive line could play a major role, and the Texans have a ton of talent across their defensive front, including edge rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, who form one of the NFL's top pass rush duos.
Speaking of Anderson and Hunter, the duo put heavy pressure on the Bills in last season's matchup, which the Texans were able to win by a score of 23-19. In that game, Allen was sacked a total of eight times, with Anderson recording 2.5 sacks and Hunter tallying two sacks.
The ability for both Anderson and Hunter to generate pressure as well as keep Allen in the pocket will no doubt play a key role in this game.
Additionally, the play of the secondary will be critical because as Burke mentioned, Allen's ability to extend plays with his legs is something that helps the Bills to create a lot of explosive plays which can be back-breaking for a defense.
The good news for the Texans is the fact that they have a great secondary with cornerbacks Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter, in addition to a great collection of safeties, which includes Reed Blankenship, Calen Bullock, and Jalen Pitre.
In terms of receivers the Bills do have a few solid receivers in D.J. Moore, Khalil Shakir, and Keon Coleman as well as a tight end duo of Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox.
With the secondary that the Texans have, they may be able to call more man coverage than most teams, so they can stick tight to the Bills' receivers and potentially force Allen into a few turnovers.
So, heading into the season opener, it is clear that it will be a battle on both sides, but if Burke, head coach DeMeco Ryans, and this Texans defense can limit Allen's ability to extend plays and pick up yards on the ground, the Bills could be in some trouble, which may lead to Houston starting 1-0 while Buffalo will start 0-1 and lose this matchup for the third consecutive season.
