Kai’mi Fairbarin has turned into one of the Texans biggest weapons over the last few years.

The Texans kicker has turned into one of the best in the NFL, a person the team can count on in any moment and a kicker every single person on the team has trust in. 

So with the game on the line and little time remaining, it didn’t matter the yardage, the Texans knew they could count on their kicker if they put him in position to succeed. Fairbairn repaid that trust and then some, nailing a 59-yard field as time expired on Sunday to give Houston one of its most important wins of the season, as the Texans outlasted the Buffalo Bills (3-2) 23-20, going to 4-1 on the season in the process and staying two games above the rest of the pack in the AFC South race.

“It’s just comforting to know you have a guys who can hit it at that critical moment, and we have full confidence every time,” said Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans. “When it got to clutch time, he stood up, he didn’t waver and he put it right through the uprights. It just gives everyone confidence because everyone on the team knows, no matter where we are, Ka’imi can make it for us as long as we get the ball where it needs to be.”

The Texans offense had a stagnant first drive of the game, but came alive after that. After the Bills drove and made a field goal, Houston answered back with a 10-play drive, balancing the pass and the run and getting on the board with a 15-yard touchdown run from Cam Akers and when they got the ball back after a punt they immediately made it a two score game when on the first play of the drive CJ Stroud threw a 67-yard bomb to Nico Collins that went for a touchdown. Houston added a field goal as the clock expired on the half and went into the locker room with a 17-7 lead after a dominating first half, especially from the defense, which limited the Bills to only a field goal and 103 yards of total offense in the first half.

“The Bills are a great team and it’s huge to come out of this with a win,” Stroud said. “We did everything well in the first half, we passed and ran it well, we moved the ball like we wanted to, but we have to get better and not shoot ourselves in the foot like we did in the second half. But it’s great to learn from a win and I’m just excited to do that.”

The Texans started the third quarter with another scoring drive where Kai’mi Fairbairn kicked a 47-yard field goal, but the Bills answered back with a touchdown drive of their own to trim Houston’s lead to 10. Buffalo added another score later in the third on a 49-yard pass to Keon Coleman from Josh Allen. After both teams traded punts, the Texans put together a strong drive, but a Stroud interception in Bills territory ended it. The Texans responded with a stop of their own but Stroud fumbled in the Texans redzone which the Bills recovered and another field goal from Buffalo tied the game. The Texans took over with 3:18 left in the game and drove but a penalty on a third down pushed them out of field goal range. 

The Bills were forced to punt from their own goal line with 16 seconds left in the game and the Texans got to the edge of field goal position off of one play, giving Fairbairn a chance to nail the long field goal that gave the Texans the win. 

Fairbairn didn’t just clinch the win for the Texans today, but also became the team’s all time leading scorer, with 773 total points for Houston in career, surpassing Kris Brown, who had 767 points for the Texans. Fairbairn is also 11-12 on field goals for the season, including 8-9 from 50 yards or longer.

“I just feel a sense of calmness when I go out there,” Fairbairn said. “My preparation gives that to me. I’m just so happy that it went in and that celebration with my team was amazing. The record is amazing as well, it’s not something I take lightly. I’m honored to have been here long enough to break it and hope there’s a lot more points to come.”

Houston will head on the next two weeks to face the Patriots and Packers before returning home against the Colts. It’s a chance for Houston to continue putting space between themselves and the rest of the division and continuing to stay towards the top of the AFC and something the team looks forward to.

“These are the types of games you find out who you are as a team, especially against a tough opponent,” Ryans said. “I’m proud of our guys for gutting it out. It wasn’t all pretty, but that’s how games go and it’s about how you finish in the end. We just have to keep finding a way to end up right where we ended today with the win.”