The Houston Texans defense fell victim to Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, losing to the AFC East squad 36-31. The unit that DeMeco Ryans is counting on to carry this franchise came up short again and again on opening Sunday. The Texans and their vaunted defense now head into Week 2 against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals with more questions than answers, so we ask where the Texans' defense panic meter should be after the Bills dominated the D?

The Texans defense panic meter should stay low… for now

Coming into Week 12 ast season, the Texans defense was already one of the best units in the league. However, they were flying a little under the radar. The avaerage NFL fan likely didn't realize at the time just how dominant this D was.

That all changed on a Thursday night, when Will Anderson Jr. and company dismantled the Bills' offensive line and sacked Allen eight times. They also forced and recovered a fumble and intercepted Allen twice. It was one of the most dominating national TV performances in recent memory.

Ultimately, Houston bet Buffalo that night 23-19, but there was a small detail tucked into that result that was informative to this year's opener. Despite an absolute defensive masterclass, Allen and the Bills still had the ball in his hands with a chance to win the game with time running out. The Texans defense made one final stop, but if not for a bounce here or there, that culd have ended in a Bills win.

Fast forward to this season, and new head coach Joe Brady had all offseason to ruminate on that loss and game-plan for this matchup. This time, his offensive line was fully healthy and he had weeks, if not months, to come up with a specific plan for Anderson and Danielle Hunter, who combined for 4.5 of the 8.0 sacks last time around.

That is reason No. 1 why the panic meter stays low. The next teams the Texans face will not have the time to gameplan like the Bills did.

The next reason that Texans fans should stay calm is the fact that, depsite letting up 36 points, the defense did do enough to win the game, if not for a freak drop by Kamari Lassiter. The Pro Bowl cornerback had the ball in his grasp on the Bills' final drive after Allen threw up a horrific pass in the end zone for Josh Palmer. It wasn't an easy catch, as Lassiter had to stop his momentum and twist his body back in the other direction, but if he makes that pick, the game is over.

On the very next play, Palmer beat Lassiter on a post route, and Allen hit him right in the chest to walk into the end zone. That effectivley ended the game, but there are positives to take away there.

Article Continues Below

Just like Bills fans were confident after last season's matchup because, as bad as Buffalo played, they did have a chance to win in the end, the Texans fans can now take the same solace. Sure, they let up 36 points in the season opener, but one small moment goes the other way, and this is a W.

The third and final reason why the DeMeco Ryans' and the Texans defense panic meter should still be low after the Week 1 loss to Josh Allen and the Bills is that it was Allen on the other side.

Allen is arguably the best player in the NFL right now, and many a defense has looked foolish with the 6-foot-5, 240-pound passer running around and making plays. Houston will not face Allen or even a signal-caller that is near Allen's level every week, so chances are they will look much better against mere mortal QBs.

However…

The immediate issue for Houston is that they do not see a mere mortal QB until Week 3 against Daniel Jones and the Indianapolis Colts. In Week 2, they get Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, and a healthy Burrow is no worse than the fourth-best quarterback in the league over the last half-decade, depending on how you want to rank him among Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson.

So, while it's not time to sound the alarm and send the panic meter soaring down in Texas just yet, there may be another tough day at the office for Ryans' defense in Week 2.