Bills look to get swagger again in opposition to Texans in large early battle

The Buffalo Bills’ trip to face the Houston Texans on Sunday is arguably the marquee early game on the NFL schedule for Week 5.

Add in the opportunity for Stefon Diggs to get back at his most recent employer, and this one carries a level of intrigue that will make even casual fans want to tune in.

Diggs played from 2020-23 for Buffalo, tallying at least 103 receptions in all four seasons and catching a total of 37 touchdown passes. However, when the offense became more run-oriented late last year following the firing of offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, Diggs made noises about his reduced role.

The Bills traded him along with two late-round picks to Houston on April 3 for a second-round pick in next year’s draft. They also swallowed $31 million of dead salary-cap money in the trade, the most a team has taken on to move a wide receiver.

So far, Diggs has 25 catches for 233 yards and two touchdowns while adding a rushing score, providing second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud with a veteran target and taking pressure off younger receivers such as Nico Collins. With Diggs attracting extra attention from opponents, Collins leads the league with 489 receiving yards.

“What makes Diggs a good fit is, first, he’s a smart player,” second-year Houston coach DeMeco Ryans said. “He can play multiple positions, so we’re able to move him around a lot to try to get him in favorable matchups.

“And he has some of the best hands that I’ve seen. He does a good job catching the ball, but just his ability to play multiple spots for us really opens the playbook up.”

Diggs caught five passes for 69 yards last week as the Texans (3-1) topped Jacksonville 24-20, enabling them to stay atop the AFC South by a game over the Indianapolis Colts.

Meanwhile, Diggs’ old team wore its first loss last week, getting routed 35-10 in Baltimore as Derrick Henry turned back the clock to his Tennessee Titans prime for 199 yards on 24 carries with two total touchdowns. Buffalo (3-1) was outrushed 271 yards to 81.

It was a striking result for the AFC’s highest-scoring offense (30.5 points per game), as the Bills managed only 236 total yards (to the Ravens’ 427) and picked up only 12 first downs to Baltimore’s 22.

The Bills’ defense also took a hit off the field Wednesday when linebacker Von Miller drew a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. The active leader among NFL players in sacks with 126.5, Miller is tied for the team lead this season with three.

“The job is to move forward, right? I’ve really been proud of the way the guys have stepped up,” Buffalo coach Sean McDermott said. “They’ve had to deal with quite a few situations, injuries, now in this case the suspension with Von. So I expect the same, quite honestly.”

One thing that could help offset Miller’s absence would be the presence of Terrel Bernard on the field. Buffalo’s starting middle linebacker was out the past two games with a pectoral injury but returned to practice on a limited basis Wednesday.

The news wasn’t as good for leading receiver Khalil Shakir (18 catches, 230 yards, two touchdowns), who missed practice Wednesday dealing with a right ankle injury sustained against the Ravens. Safety Taylor Rapp (concussion), defensive tackle Austin Johnson (oblique) and starting tackle Dion Dawkins (hamstring) also did not practice Wednesday.

A quartet of Texans did not practice Wednesday, with defensive end Derek Barnett sitting out as he deals with a shoulder injury. The other three who couldn’t practice are all impact players on offense — four-time Pro Bowl tackle Laremy Tunsil (ankle) and running backs Joe Mixon (ankle) and Dameon Pierce (hamstring). Ryans referred to Mixon’s status on Wednesday as “day-to-day.”

The teams have split 10 regular-season meetings. Buffalo took a 40-0 win in the clubs’ last matchup three years ago in Orchard Park, N.Y.

–Field Level Media