Buffalo Bills wide receiver Joshua Palmer only had one reception against the Houston Texans, and he made sure it counted the most.

Palmer was an unlikely hero for the Bills in their gusty win over the Texans, 36-31, at Reliant Stadium, scoring on a 34-yard pass from Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen with only 1:36 left in the fourth quarter. It proved to be the game-winning touchdown, marking the Bills' first win in Houston since 2016.

It was a nip-and-tuck affair from the onset, as the Bills and the Texans refused to give an inch. But Buffalo found a sliver of an opening in crunch time, allowing Allen to throw to Palmer.

In the postgame interview, Allen admitted that he had to improvise and gave credit to Palmer.

“You want the absolute truth? We call this a horseshoe. This is not where the ball is supposed to go. We have never once repped the ball going there,” said the former MVP.

“I just felt that those safeties started cheating to DJ (Moore) a little bit. Josh ran a great route, put it on the line for him. He goes and does the rest. We'll take those when we get them, but we don't want to make a living out of throwing to those.”

"This is not where the ball is supposed to go. We have never once repped the ball going there."

Josh Allen breaks down the Josh Palmer TD, which gave the Bills the lead late in the game

🎙️: @EvanWashburn pic.twitter.com/SMxQxE7Ti4

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 13, 2026

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The 30-year-old Allen added that he was proud of the 26-year-old Palmer.

“He stayed ready all game. He did his job. Obviously, he came up with the play of the game,” said the four-time Pro Bowler.

Allen went 20-of-29 for 334 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He also rushed for 23 yards and two scores.

The Bills will host the Detroit Lions in their home opener in Week 2.