In the NFL draft, the Texans selected wide receiver Andre Johnson from Miami (FL) third overall.
[1] Considered one of the best receivers of his era, Johnson was selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024, becoming the first player to start their career with the Texans to be inducted.
On the Texans' third offensive drive, David Carr was sacked in his own end zone by Jeff Posey and fumbled the ball.
The ball eventually went out of bounds in the end zone, resulting in a safety, giving the Bills a 2–0 lead.
The team lined up in a punt formation and Andre Johnson took the ball, intentionally running backwards to his own end zone and ran out of bounds for a safety with 0:00 on the clock, securing a 12–10 victory for the Texans.
With injuries to both David Carr and Tony Banks, third-round rookie quarterback Dave Ragone made his first NFL start.