Where to watch Bills vs. Texans: Live stream, prediction, preview for ‘TNF’

NFL Week 12 kicks off with an AFC showdown in the Lone Star State, as the 5-5 Houston Texans welcome Josh Allen and the 7-3 Buffalo Bills to town. The Texans are coming off their second straight victory, a 16-13 victory over their division rival Tennessee Titans, while the Bills came out on the right side of a 44-32 shootout with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It will once again be Davis Mills at center for the Texans, as will CJ Stroud. miss a second consecutive start due to his concussion. Mills is 2-0 this season as a starter and is averaging 283 passing yards per game. He scored four total touchdowns, threw one interception, but was also sacked six times in those contests.

The Bills returned to winning ways last week in a game that featured nine lead changes, but they are still 1.5 games behind the surprising New England Patriots in the AFC East. Between facing a backup quarterback and a bottom-10 rushing attack, this is a big opportunity for Buffalo.

Let’s break down this week’s edition of “Thursday Night Football,” but first, here’s how you can watch the game.

Where to watch Bills vs. Texans live

• Date: Thursday November 20 | Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
• Location: NRG Stadium – Houston, Texas
• Flow: Prime
• Follow: CBS Sports app
• Odds: Bills -5.5; O/U 43.5 (via FanDuel)

Bills vs. Texans: What you need to know

• Davis Mills struggled in his only start against Buffalo. Although Mills has been winning lately, his only career start against the Bills in 2021 was a disaster. He completed 11 of 21 passes for 87 yards, no touchdowns and a career-high four interceptions in a 40–0 loss.
• Josh Allen is out of luck in Houston. Allen is 83-37 as a regular season starter, but he hasn’t had any luck in H-Town. The Bills lost on field goals in Houston twice when Allen started.
• Anti-defense bills are a problem. The Bills have the second-ranked pass defense in the NFL, allowing 169.7 yards per game. However, run defense is a major problem. Buffalo is allowing the second-most rushing yards per game at 153.0 and has allowed six rushing touchdowns of 30 yards or more this season – which is tied for the most in NFL history through 10 games.
• The best defense in the NFL? Many believe the Denver Broncos have the best defense in the NFL, but that title could belong to the Texans. Houston is allowing a league-low 258.1 total yards per game and is the stingiest when it comes to putting points on the board with 16.3 per game. And this 16.3 is the minimum allowed over 10 games by a team without a winning record since 2003! Houston has allowed fewer than 20 points in seven of 10 games this season.
• Gamers not ready to play in prime time? The Bills are 2-2 in prime time this season, but have lost their last two night games. The Texans, on the other hand, have lost both of their prime-time games this year.

Bills vs. Texans prediction, picks

Allen may not like playing in Houston, but he sure likes playing on Thursdays. Allen has the best Thursday record (8-0) by a starting quarterback since 1950. He has scored 290 total touchdowns in his career, which is the most touchdowns ever by a player 30 or younger, and has the most total touchdowns in the NFL this season with 28. All of this is to say he’s good enough to rise above that vaunted Texas defense.

The Texans mounted an impressive comeback against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10 and found a way to win at Tennessee last Sunday despite being down a single point in the first half, but the Bills pose a different kind of test. Buffalo covers the primetime broadcast. Choose: bills -5.5; Less than 43.5