Buffalo at Houston

Houston brings the defense that made a real case as the league's best unit a year ago, and Buffalo counters with a version of itself that looks different at the top. Joe Brady was promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach after Sean McDermott was let go, so Josh Allen keeps the same play-caller, but Brady is running his first game as a head coach and everything that comes with it: clock management, fourth-down calls, in-game adjustments a rookie head coach has never had to make. That kind of transition tends to slow a team down in a season opener even when the scheme itself hasn't changed. Houston's own offense is now in its second year under coordinator Nick Caley, which points to a more measured script early rather than a shootout. Two strong defenses, with one sideline learning on the job in real time, are the recipe for a total that stays under. Take the UNDER.