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Little went right for the Bills' quarterback in a tough contest Thursday night versus the Houston Texans.

And still he nearly managed to willing the Bills to a win before an interception in the final minute ended their hopes in a close defeat.

Allen took consecutive tackles for loss on the team's last drive, leading to a fourth-and-27, but the Bills (7-4) gained 44 yards on a short pass from Allen to a receiver, who flipped a backward pass to another teammate.

Following a pre-snap infraction led to a fourth-and-6 for Buffalo, Calen Bullock intercepted the quarterback's throw at the Houston 9 with 24 seconds remaining.

“We had a opportunity to win it there at the end,” Allen said. “Our team performed a solid job of staying in it and our defensive unit saved us a couple of times. We must find a way, and we didn’t.”

Proved difficult for Allen to establish rhythm on a evening he was brought down a personal-worst eight times and pressured four other times. The QB passed for 253 yards with a pair of picks and no touchdowns after producing six TDs in a win over the Buccaneers last week.

“When they hit our quarterback a dozen times, I don’t like that,” Bills coach Sean McDermott commented. “I disapprove of that statistic at all. It’s just not a safe way to play and it’s not a smart way to keep our field general in good shape for the remaining games. We’ve got to improve our performance.”

Allen was sluggish to rise after a tackle in the opening two quarters. He indicated he was OK and that his left shoulder “went a little numb” after he fell on it in an awkward manner. He was questioned about being hit so many times during the game.

It's unpleasant,” he remarked. “I ran into a couple myself. I need to be more effective at disposing of the football. On multiple occasions, I found myself losing ground.”

The Bills' QB surrendered 70 total yards on the eight quarterback takedowns. Anderson had two and a half sacks to top the Houston defense. His second one occurred when he nearly sacked the QB near the scrimmage line, but he escaped and the defender rose and chased him across the field to drop him for an 18-yard deficit to force a punt early in the third.

The Bills competed for a second consecutive matchup without receiver Coleman after he was once more a non-participant after he was late to a squad gathering before their previous contest. He was previously benched for the opening drive of a loss to the Patriots in the fifth week after also being delayed for a meeting.

“Nothing new. We are taking it day by day,” the coach noted. “I thought he had a improved week, but we are taking it step by step. It was not that it wasn’t thought about, but we went with the guys that provide the optimal opportunity.”

Shakir topped the Bills with eight receptions for 110 receiving yards and Cook had 116 rushing yards and a score.

Allen was disappointed that the team were unable to execute in crucial moments.

“Ultimately, we must execute, and we didn’t do a good job of that this evening,” he said. “Whatever situation and whatever circumstance, we need to find a way, and we didn’t.”