Official Texans @ Bills Game Thread, 10/3/2021

[Arky]

Beth Mowins and Tiki Barber on the call is interesting. CBS really digging into the reserves....

506Sports is showing zero Beth Mowins games in the first 3 weeks so this may be her first NFL game. Gotta be the first time a woman has called a Texan game. Tiki has worked this year with Andrew Catalon who it seems usually has James Lofton as a partner.

So, interesting assignments. Kinda like to know the story behind these decisions. BTW, Mowins is not bad - listened to many of her ESPN college broadcasts.... she usually does a good job.

[Arky]

Here's an article on Beth Mowins doing the game:

Broadcasting pioneer Beth Mowins to call Bills game, making some fans shout unfairly

The initial reaction to my announcement on Twitter late last week that Beth Mowins will be the CBS play-by-play announcer for the Buffalo Bills game Sunday against the Houston Texans alongside Tiki Barber made me think some Western New Yorkers haven’t come a long way, baby.

The announcement made some Bills fans want to shout some unfair things.

“Oh my (expletive deleted) god. Do the networks really hate us that much?” replied one follower.

“For a team that’s supposed to be a Super Bowl contender, we’re sure not getting any respect from the networks," wrote another.

“God. Help us,” wrote another.

“She’s awful,” wrote another.

But to my relief, followers soon came to Mowins’ defense.

“It might be unpopular, but I like Mowins,” wrote one follower.

“She’s good actually,” wrote another.

“I see a lot of woman sports announcers hate here,” wrote another. “She’s good in everything she covers.”

“She’s good, because she makes it about the GAME, not her,” wrote another.

Mowins, who was born in Syracuse and earned a master’s degree from Syracuse University, is better known for doing college sports but has been doing NFL games since 2017. She isn’t a CBS regular, doing just “select games” for the network.

She has worked two Bills games in the last four years, including the Bills’ 42-17 win over the Miami Dolphins in the 2018 season finale.

I wasn’t surprised that she received a lot of unwarranted criticism on social networks back then.

My review was much kinder. I wrote: “If fans can get past her voice – and that’s apparently a tall order for many critical men and even some women – she did a fine job. She misidentified a few players … But that happens to every play-by-play person. Other than that, Mowins illustrated that she does her homework, asks the right questions, has a decent excitement level and generally does everything you’d expect a play-by-play person to do.”

More at link.

[Arky]

Texans go 3 and out on the opening kickoff. A Tytus Howard holding call, a fumble by Davis Mills that he recovers....

Punt.

Allen throws an INT to Lonnie Johnson! Texans in the red zone.

Rain expected all game long.

12:22 left in the 1st qtr.

Texans going for it on 4th and 2.

Pass is tipped inc. Bills takeover on downs at their 6 yard line. Opportunity missed......

10:07 left in the 1st qtr.

[Arky]

Allen hits Knox for a 25 yard TD pass for the Bills.

Bill 7, Texans 0

1:59 left in the 1st qtr.

[Arky]

Bass makes a 33 yard FG for the Bills.

Bills 10, Texans 0

13:05 left in the half.

[Arky]

Bass adds a 26 yard FG.

Bills 13, Texans 0

7:12 left in the half.

Texan offense looking pretty dang pathetic.

[Arky]

It has stopped raining for the moment.

Davis Mills is going to have to show some legs at some point. The Bills are just coming after him.

About 2 minutes left in the half and the Texans have 4 total yards.

Tipped ball and the Bills have another INT.

Bill's ball with 1:40 left in the half. Now at the Texan 30.