Will Anderson says Texans' defense 'wasn’t our standard' after giving up 36 points to Bills

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans’ defense was supposed to be the strength of the team and one of the NFL’s best entering the season.

That certainly wasn't the case on Sunday.

The Texans gave up big play after big play in a 36-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills in their opener.

“We’ve got to do a better job, especially closing out the game,” star defensive end Will Anderson said. “It just wasn’t our standard. That’s not who we are. That’s not who we want to be as a defense.”

Josh Allen threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Palmer with 1:36 remaining to lift the Bills to victory.

The Texans led 31-30 when Allen split two defenders to find Palmer. The 2-point conversion failed.

One play earlier, Houston’s Kamari Lassiter got his hands on a pass from Allen in the end zone but couldn’t grab the interception.

Lassiter, a third-year safety, had a tough day. Along with that drop, he was one of the players defending Palmer on the go-ahead score. He also had a pass-interference penalty for 46 yards in the first half that gave the Bills the ball on the 1-yard line, leading to a touchdown.

Visibly upset, Lassiter took accountability for the loss.

“I feel like this team is in a really good spot,” he said. “I feel like everyone played great, everyone but me. So, I’ve just got to be better.”

Coach DeMeco Ryans was disappointed that the poor defensive performance spoiled a big day by the offense. C.J. Stroud threw for 274 yards and two touchdowns and David Montgomery added two rushing scores and had a TD catch in his Houston debut after a trade from the Lions.

“We played together, but we could have definitely played much better defensively,” he said.

The Texans entered the season returning all their starters from a defense that led the NFL in yards allowed and ranked second in points allowed last year. Many observers predicted they'd be even better this year.

Lassiter said the Texans can’t rely on what they've done previously and must be better if they hope to avoid a repeat of last season, when they lost their first three games.

“It’s a whole new season ... and the stuff that we did last year doesn’t count anymore,” he said. “Obviously what we put on the field today counts and what I put on the field today wasn’t good enough.”

The Bills piled up 409 yards of offense and the Texans allowed their most points since a 36-22 loss to Cleveland on Dec. 24, 2023.

The Texans yielded a 21-yard touchdown run by Allen, a 43-yard scoring grab by DJ Moore and several other chunk plays in the first half.

“We gave up way too many explosives,” Ryans said. “When you give up the explosives and you have the opportunity to take the football away, you don’t do those things and you’re going against a top offense in the NFL, that’s what’s going to happen.”

Last season, Houston sacked Allen a career-high eight times in a 23-19 win.

The Texans had two sacks Sunday while Allen finished with 334 yards passing and two touchdowns and ran for two more scores.

“We have to be tighter in our coverage,” Ryans said. “The rush and coverage works together. We have to give the defensive line a little more time. Of course, they had more max protection, shot plays, where they were throwing the ball up. We had opportunities to make those plays and they came down with them.”

Anderson said the Texans would use the disappointing result as motivation.

“We’re going to stick together and that’s what the message was after this one,” he said. “Stick together, hold your head up high, this is just the first one and let’s just get back to work and play our brand of ball.”

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Buffalo Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard (8) jumps to avoid Houston Texans tight end Foster Moreau, below right, who is tackled by cornerback Davison Igbinosun (21) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid (86) signals after a first down reception during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III (4) is tackled by Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., right, during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) runs the ball against the Houston Texans during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

Houston Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter (3) breaks up a pass against the Buffalo Bills during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

NEW YORK (AP) — Alexander Zverev's best year in tennis goes on, and so does that lengthy Grand Slam drought for American men.

Zverev won his second major championship and disappointed a crowd that was desperate to see the first Grand Slam title by an American man since 2003, beating Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 on Sunday in the U.S. Open final.

Zverev finally broke through in the majors by winning this year’s French Open and followed up by adding the title in New York that he so painfully let slip away in 2020.

The No. 1 seed in a Grand Slam for the first time, he capitalized on Shelton’s shaky start in his first major final, played a nearly flawless tiebreaker on serve and then turned back a comeback attempt in front of a crowd that feverishly cheered Shelton on — including girlfriend Trinity Rodman, who made it from her own soccer match in Washington before the finish.

“I know today 99.9% of the people wanted Ben to win, so I’m very sorry first of all,” Zverev said during the trophy presentation. “But second, it was an incredible atmosphere to play in. Even though I know that the crowd was against me, the crowd was always incredibly fair.”

Shelton was trying to win the first title by an American man since Andy Roddick won in Flushing Meadows in 2003, as well as become the first Black player to win the men's crown since Arthur Ashe in 1968.

But Zverev was too good in majors this year and apparently didn't even know how good he was. He finished the match on his serve but didn't seem to realize it, dropping back behind the baseline as if set to return. Only a few moments later did he figure out he had won, raising his arms in celebration.

“You’re one of the very best players in the world, maybe the best player in the world this year,” Shelton told Zverev.

Zverev improved to 25-2 in major matches this year and won $5.5 million, matching the prize earned by women’s champion Elena Rybakina on Saturday as the largest in Grand Slam history.

He thought this title would come in 2020 and still acknowledges it should have. He won the first two sets against Dominic Thiem and got within two points of victory before becoming the first man to blow a two-set lead and lose in the final since 1949.

Whatever ghosts were left from then are long gone now.

Zverev also reached the final at Wimbledon, falling to Jannik Sinner, and became the No. 1 seed in New York when the top-ranked Sinner had to withdraw with a knee injury. He made the most of opportunities that came when Carlos Alcaraz had to sit out two majors and Sinner missed another, after they played in three straight Grand Slam finals in 2025.

“I think God has seen how hard we worked, how much we suffered, how much pain we went through and I think 2026 is the outcome of all the years that happened before,” Zverev said, addressing his team.

Shelton had already eliminated the defending champion when he beat No. 2 seed Alcaraz in a five-set quarterfinal that ended at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish in U.S. Open history.

But he fell short on Sunday in his attempt to become the first man to beat the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds en route to the U.S. Open title since 1975.

The No. 8 seed fell to 0-6 against Zverev, winning a set Sunday for only the second time.

The 23-year-old Shelton figures to get more chances, but Americans who have grown tired of waiting to celebrate a men’s title wanted it now.

Fans stood and screamed when Shelton emerged from the tunnel before the match, but he didn’t give them any reason to keep the cheers going once play began. Serving first, he lost the opening two points and then eventually handed the game to Zverev with a double-fault.

Zverev maintained that lead the rest of the set, which ended on another double-fault by Shelton.

Zverev’s deliberate playing style helped limit the crowd’s effectiveness. Fans are expected to quiet down as a player is preparing to serve and stay quiet until the ensuing point has completed.

Zverev bounces the ball a number of times — sometimes around 10, maybe a dozen, others nearly 20, insisting there is no set pattern or plan — before he begins his toss, so it guarantees lengthy stretches of silence.

Fans tried to get around that by occasionally cheering when he missed a first serve — another tennis no-no that the chair umpire scolded them for — but Zverev, who said before the match he enjoyed hostile crowds, did not seem affected.

Then, with fans chanting “USA! USA!” Zverev turned back Shelton's chance to even the match in the tiebreaker.

Shelton returned Zverev’s opening serve long, was beaten by a superb passing shot and then came up on the wrong end of a 16-shot rally as Zverev went up 3-0. Zverev then hit serves of 147 mph and 124 mph that Shelton couldn’t get back in play. Shelton cut it to 5-2 and then got a return in play for the only time, but Zverev won the point and then hit another serve at 139 mph to close it out.

Shelton kept fighting, at one point diving in an attempt to get a volley back, resting his head on his hands when he couldn't and then banging his hand to the court. He picked himself back up and finally broke Zverev for the only time to win the third set.

But with Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and number of their teammates in attendance, Shelton couldn’t pull off a championship comeback like those New York Knicks did in June. He was broken to begin the fourth, the second time in the match he dropped his opening service game, forcing him to play from behind again.

See AP’s full tennis coverage here

Ben Shelton, of the United States, looks on after his loss in the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships against Alexander Zverev, of Germany, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Ben Shelton, of the United States, left, and Alexander Zverev, of Germany, right, pose for a photo together with their trophies after Zverev won the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Ben Shelton, of the United States, reacts after he lost the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships against Alexander Zverev, of Germany, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Alexander Zverev, of Germany, poses with the trophy after he won the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships against Ben Shelton, of the United States, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Alexander Zverev, of Germany, celebrates after he won the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships against Ben Shelton, of the United States, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Alexander Zverev, of Germany, reaches to return the ball to Ben Shelton, of the United States, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Ben Shelton, of the United States, returns the ball to Alexander Zverev, of Germany, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Ben Shelton, of the United States, spins his racket during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships against Alexander Zverev, of Germany, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Alexander Zverev, of Germany, returns the ball to Ben Shelton, of the United States, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Alexander Zverev, of Germany, serves the ball to Karen Khachanov, of Russia, during the men's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Ben Shelton, of the United States, reacts after he won his match against Frances Tiafoe, of the United States, during the men's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Alexander Zverev, of Germany, returns the ball to Karen Khachanov, of Russia, during the men's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Ben Shelton, of the United States, hits balls to audience after he won his match against Frances Tiafoe, of the United States, during the men's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)