Houston Texans vs Buffalo Bills NFL Preview: Team news, betting, tickets, live stream, Fantasy Football and more

A marquee AFC showdown is on tap for Thursday night in Week 12, with the Houston Texans (5-5) welcoming the Buffalo Bills (7-3) to town. 

Both squads enter this clash riding the high of dramatic Week 11 triumphs, Buffalo stormed back in a shootout to outlast the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Houston snatched victory from the jaws of defeat thanks to a walk-off field goal against the Tennessee Titans.

The Texans have strung together two straight wins despite being without C.J. Stroud, who remains in concussion protocol and may be facing an uphill climb to suit up on a short week. 

That leaves Davis Mills as the likely trigger man once again after he managed the game well enough to slip past Tennessee. Should Mills be pressed into action against Buffalo, Houston will almost certainly find itself staring down the barrel of a sizable home underdog tag.

Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.

Houston Texans vs Buffalo Bills kick-off time

NFL

NRG Stadium

The Texans and the Bills will meet in Week 12 of the NFL season at NRG Stadium at Houston, Texas, on Thursday, November 20, starting at 8:15 pm ET.

Team news & squads

Houston Texans team news

Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud has been stuck in the league's concussion protocol ever since he was knocked out just before halftime in Week 9 against Denver. It’s the second concussion of his young career, his first came as a rookie, and he hasn’t logged a single practice rep since the injury, signaling little to no movement toward a return.

Tight end Harrison Bryant (neck/shoulder), corner Damon Arnette (ankle), safety Jalen Pitre (concussion), and kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn (quadriceps) will also be unavailable. A handful of Texans land in the questionable category as well, including fullback Jakob Johnson (hamstring), rookie tight end Cade Stover (foot), and offensive lineman Ed Ingram (knee), making Houston's depth chart a patchwork heading into Thursday night.

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Buffalo Bills team news

Reigning MVP Josh Allen is coming off a monster outing that dragged Buffalo to 7-3. Allen lit up Tampa Bay for 317 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions through the air, while bulldozing his way to 40 rushing yards and another three scores on the ground. He’s now up to 18 passing touchdowns on the campaign, and the Bills will almost certainly need another superhero-level showing from him with Houston boasting the league’s top pass defense heading into Week 11.

Turnovers have been the one blemish on Allen’s résumé this season, seven picks in 10 games, but he emphatically rebounded after that rough showing against Miami. Another explosive performance under the bright lights could vault him right back near the top of the MVP conversation as he chases back-to-back honors.

Buffalo will be missing a few key contributors on Thursday, headlined by tight end Dalton Kincaid, who is sidelined with a hamstring issue. Defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis is also ruled out with a shoulder injury. Several others are banged up but still have a shot to suit up, including T.J. Sanders (knee), linebacker Shaq Thompson (hamstring), corner Taron Johnson (groin) and defensive back Cam Lewis (calf), all of whom carry questionable tags into the matchup.

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Watch and live stream Texans vs Bills in the USA

The Texans vs Bills game in Week 12 of the 2025 NFL season will be broadcast live exclusively on Prime Video. Fans in the local markets will still be able to catch the coverage onFubo (Try for free today!).

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More details on where to watch the game in the United States, including streaming options, will be released soon, so keep an eye out for our dedicated coverage.

Watch and live stream Texans vs Bills worldwide

For fans outside the U.S. looking to stay plugged into the action,NFL Game Pass on DAZN is the ultimate ticket. It serves up more than 200 regular-season and playoff matchups, complete Super Bowl coverage, plus access to NFL Network, NFL RedZone, and plenty more to keep you locked in all year long.

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To bypass regional restrictions or to access the game if you are travelling abroad, you can watch the action using a Virtual Private Network like ExpressVPN.

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How to buy Texans vs Bills tickets

Tickets are already up for grabs on StubHub, with entry starting at $386. From there, prices climb through the tiers — $300, $400, $500, $600, $700, $800, $900, $1,000, and stretching all the way into the premium ranges of $2,000, $3,000, $4,000, $5,000, $6,000, and topping out at $10,406 for the best seats in the house.

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Texans vs Bills Fantasy Football

Josh Allen may not have a deep cast of supporting weapons outside of Dalton Kincaid and Khalil Shakir, but he's still locked in as a must-start fantasy quarterback heading into Week 12. After torching the Buccaneers with 40 rushing yards and three scores on the ground, Allen delivered the bounce-back effort Buffalo desperately needed following that ugly loss to Miami. Now he gets a gritty Texans defense on a short week, which won’t make life easy, but Allen’s dual-threat skill set keeps his fantasy ceiling sky-high.

James Cook never truly found a rhythm between the tackles last week, yet he salvaged his outing by carving up Tampa Bay as a pass-catcher. With his versatility on full display, Cook remains entrenched as a rest-of-season RB1.

Shakir, meanwhile, shook off earlier practice limitations and was a full go by Friday, exiting the week without an injury tag. With Dalton Kincaid (hamstring) ruled out, Shakir steps into the role of Buffalo’s top receiving option and should see plenty of opportunities against the Bucs.

On the other side, Davis Mills has quietly played himself into streaming consideration after posting a surprise QB1 finish against Jacksonville and following it up with another solid showing in a soft matchup with Tennessee. Houston is expected to update C.J. Stroud's status early in the week, but if he doesn’t clear the concussion protocol in time, Mills is lined up for a third straight start when the Texans square off with the Bills on Thursday night.

Rookie back Woody Marks has been a bit of a roller coaster in recent weeks, but he continues to flash real upside and now leads Houston’s backfield. He’ll get another chance to prove he belongs in the Texans’ long-term plans when he takes on Buffalo under the Thursday-night lights.

Texans vs Bills Game Predictions

C.J. Stroud is looking more like a longshot for Thursday Night Football in Week 12, according to Adam Schefter, casting some early shadows over Houston's showdown with Buffalo. The Texans still have a puncher's chance thanks to a defense that has been downright stingy over the past eight games, surrendering just 161.9 passing yards per outing, a meagre 5.2 yards per attempt, and a rock-bottom 62.1 opposing QB rating, all the best marks in the league during that stretch. 

The real snag for Houston is the other side of the ball. With Davis Mills steering the offense, the Texans will need their defense to pry the ball away from Josh Allen multiple times, and deep in Bills territory, to tilt the field in their favor. If Buffalo protects the football, the Bills should be in the driver's seat.

Texans vs Bills Betting Odds

Spread

Bills -3.5 (-110)

Texans +3.5 (-110)

Moneyline

Bills: -192

Texans:+160

Total

44.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Form

Head-to-Head Record

HOU

Last 5 matches

BUF

3

Wins

0

Draws

2

Wins

• Houston Texans

  23

  -

  20

  Buffalo Bills

• Buffalo Bills

  40

  -

  0

  Houston Texans

• Houston Texans

  22

  -

  19

  Buffalo Bills

• Houston Texans

  20

  -

  13

  Buffalo Bills

• Buffalo Bills

  30

  -

  21

  Houston Texans

Useful links

• Patriots 2025 NFL schedule: TV channel, livestream & where to watch the games
• Jets 2025 NFL schedule: TV channel, livestream & where to watch the games
• How to watch and live stream NFL football for free and without cable
• 2025 fantasy football rankings: Running back (RB) | Wide receiver (WR) | Tight end (TE) | Quarterback (QB)