Bills vs. Texans: TV Schedule, Odds, Ticket Info, Game Time and More

The Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans are set to kick off this season's NFL playoffs in an AFC wild-card game that pits two franchises without much of a playoff track record. 

The Bills will travel to Houston to make just their second playoff appearance in 20 years. The Bills came up short in their only other appearance in 2017. Now Josh Allen will look to become the first quarterback since Jim Kelly in 1995 to win a playoff game for Buffalo. 

Houston is more familiar with the postseason. They have earned a berth in three of the last four seasons but have made it out of Wildcard Weekend just once. Deshaun Watson will also be making his second career playoff start. 

None of that historic context will matter once the ball is kicked off on Saturday, though. These are two evenly matched teams that have found success this year, and the latest line from Caesars demonstrates how closely matched these two teams are. 

Matchup Info

Start Time: Saturday, January 4 at 4:35 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN; Simulcast on ABC

Tickets: StubHub

Spread: Bills at Texans (-3)

When it comes to 10-6 teams, Houston is about as shaky as it gets. Football Outsiders' DVOA rankings has the Texans offense as the 17th ranked offense in the NFL and the defense is much worse at 26. 

That defense certainly didn't do much to inspire confidence in a 35-14 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 17. The offense has an excuse given the team rested Watson, DeAndre Hopkins and a number of other important starters. However, the concerning part of that loss was the 211 rushing yards surrendered to Derrick Henry. 

The dominant performance wasn't an aberration. The Texans are 27th in rushing yards allowed per attempt. 

There is hope for the Texans, though. For one, J.J. Watt is expected to return. The star defensive end hasn't played since October when he suffered a torn pectoral muscle, and his presence has already been felt as the team prepares for the game.

"I think activating J.J. is huge, mentally, spiritually, for sure," Texans cornerback Bradley Roby said, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. "He's a big part of this city, on and off the field. He's a leader for this team. I think his mere presence out there will affect the game in a great way."

The other good news for the Texans is that the Bills haven't exactly been elite in the run game. Devin Singletary, Frank Gore and Allen spearhead a rushing attack that gains a good-not-great 4.4 yards per carry. 

The Bills rushing attack has been under development all season, and while Singletary has had his moments as a rookie it isn't a top-flight ground game just yet. Instead, the offense has been all about Josh Allen's ability to improvise and create while the defense does its thing. 

Buffalo has the sixth-ranked defensive unit according to DVOA, and it has shown up on the scoreboard. The Bills are second only to the New England Patriots in points allowed per game. 

The secondary has been especially good. They're third in the league in yards allowed per attempt, giving up just 5.6 yards an attempt and holding opposing quarterbacks to a mere 195.2 passing yards allowed per game. 

Much of that is because of Tre'Davious White who has put up absolutely silly numbers:

Hopkins vs. White will be worth the price of admission. Nuk had another dominant season with 1,165 yards and seven touchdowns, so if anyone can find success against White, it's Hopkins. 

Finding some success in the passing game will be important for the Texans. The running back duo of Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson have been one of the more efficient pairings in the league. Houston is sixth in the league in yards per rush attempt. 

However, the Texans' chances of winning hinge on Watson. In wins, he has 21 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing nearly 70 percent of his passes. In losses, he has just five touchdowns and another six interceptions. 

His ability to get things done through the air will be the difference in this game.