Football is back and the Buffalo Bills are ready to take a trip south to face the Houston Texans in Week 1. It’s going to be a tough matchup for them as they take on a franchise that has had their number in recent years.Buffalo is just 1-4 against the Texans during the Josh Allen era, making this a daunting challenge right out of the gate. Of course, anything can happen once the game begins, but leading up to kick off, we see that the majority of the league experts are selecting the home team.Here’s a roundup of who some of the major outlets believe will win this weekend.ESPNHouston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. sacks Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in the first half at NRG Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectMatt Bowen: BillsMike Clay: TexansJeremy Fowler: TexansDan Graziano: BillsKalyn Kahler: BillsPamela Maldonado: TexansEric Moody: TexansJason Reid: TexansBen Solak: BillsLindsey Thiry: BillsSeth Wickersham: TexansFive of the experts at ESPN see the Bills coming away with the win, while six of them believe it will be the Texans. CBS SportsBuffalo Bills running back James Cook III runs for a touchdown against the Houston Texans in the first quarter at NRG Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectPete Prisco: BillsJared Dubin: Texans Ryan Wilson: BillsJohn Breech: TexansTyler Sullivan: TexansDave Richard: TexansJamey Eisenberg: BillsHere’s another site where the picks are close, with Houston being selected by four experts at CBS while the Bills were picked by three. That’s it for the close votes, however, as the remainder of the sites lean heavily into the Texans.NFL.comBuffalo Bills safety Cole Bishop reacts after a play against the Houston Texans in the second quarter at NRG Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectJeremy Bergman: TexansBrooke Cersosimo: TexansGennaro Filice: TexansBobby Kownack: BillsDan Parr: TexansNFL.com has five experts making picks and only one believes the Bills will win.Bleacher ReportBuffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen signals at the line of scrimmage during the second half against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectGary Davenport: BillsBrad Gagnon: Texans Kristopher Knox: TexansIan O’Donnell: TexansBrent Sobleski: Texans Again, only one expert here picked Buffalo as Bleacher Report is giving them the edge 4-1.Final expert tally and our predictionBuffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady looks on during the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at New Highmark Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectTexans: 18Bills: 10In all, there were 28 predictions and more than half went to the Texans. Buffalo is definitely facing a worthy challenger, but are they being overlooked or is this grim picture a sign that they could be in trouble of starting 0-1?My predictionBuffalo Bills running back James Cook III prior to the game between the Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectIt’s impossible to deny that Houston’s defensive line causes major headaches for the Bills. Their ability to get pressure on Josh Allen has led to some frustrating performances from the star signal caller.If Buffalo is going to win, they need to help Allen by getting the ball out of his hands early. They will need the ground game to do its part, but getting James Cook involved in the passing game will help as well. Offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael says they plan on using him in this role often in 2026, and this is the perfect game to make good on that since it could slow down the pass rush.Defensively, Jim Leonhard will be able to make life difficult for CJ Stroud. He has a questionable offensive line in front of him and struggles when facing pressure up the middle. Ed Oliver and Deone Walker can provide that, and when combined with an offensive game plan focused on ball control, Buffalo escapes with a narrow win.Final score prediction — Bills 21, Texans 20— Sign up for OnSI’s Free Buffalo Bills Newsletter —Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow