Clutch Ka’imi has a ring to it.
It’s also a way to describe the Houston Texans kicker through five games this season at home and away from NRG Stadium.
Fairbairn delivered a game-winning 59-yard field goal as time expired to secure a 23-20 win over the Buffalo Bills, helping the Texans improve to 4-1. The eighth-year veteran also became the all-time leader in points, surpassing Kris Brown.
“It’s a special one. I don’t take it lightly,” One guy definitely I have to shout out is Jon Weeks. He’s been with me every step of the way, every single snap. So, he’s just a part of that as I am. I’m very thankful for him. And all my teammates.
“I‘m honored to be here for this long. I am hoping to score a lot more.”
C.J. Stroud threw for 331 yards and a touchdown pass to Nico Collins to help Houston take a 14-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. Collins, the league’s leader in receiving yards, left after the score and was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Stefon Diggs, facing off against his former team for the first time since being traded back in April, took over as the new top option and impressed. He caught a team-leading six passes for 82 yards.
The four-time Pro Bowl receiver said that Sunday was an emotional day for him after spending the past four seasons in Buffalo.
“I’m not going to sit here and act like it was just regular,” Diggs said postgame. “It meant a lot to me and it was reassuring that the guys around me knew that it meant a lot to me, even if I didn’t say it. I just try to just keep it poised and treat every week like it’s the same … but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t mean a lot.”
While the defense did allow Buffalo to work its way back into scoring opportunities, Houston coughed up two turnovers. Stroud threw an interception to Terell Bernard. Dawuane Smoot’s strip-sack of Stroud gave the Bills the ball at the Houston 15 with just over four minutes to play.
Houston’s defense did slow down Pro Bowl quarterback Josh Allen, who finished was 9 of 30 for 131 yards and a touchdown. Allen also only had 56 passing yards through the first half and was sacked by Will Anderson Jr,
Here are the snap counts for every player that contributed to the Texans’ Week 5’s win.
#Texans snap counts and stats from 23-20 win over #Bills @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/4uNxIs1Ugt
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 7, 2024
Offensive snaps: 68
Defensive snaps: 61
Special teams snaps: 14
Blake Fisher made his first career start at right tackle after Tytus Howard was ruled out with a hamstring injury. The second-round pick played 68 snaps, along with Stroud and the four other offensive linemen.
Without Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce, Cam Akers was expected to take over as the new lead back. That wasn’t the case since Ogunbowale totaled 46 reps as the No. 2 option while Akers finished with 29.
Akers, who rushed for a 15-yard touchdown in the first quarter, averaged 4.7 yards per attempt.
Five defensive players saw 100 percent of reps against Buffalo’s defensive front. Danielle Hunter played 82 percent of the snaps. Second-year defensive end Will Anderson Jr. played 74 percent.
The Texans travel to Gillette Stadium for their third road game against the New England Patriots. Kickoff is scheduled for noon CT.
