HOUSTON — Cincinnati’s offense never completely found its footing Sunday afternoon. Fortunately for the Bengals, their revamped defense decided to control the game itself en route to a big road victory in Houston.
The Bengals stopped the Texans on all four of their trips inside the red zone and all four of their fourth-down attempts, grinding out a 20-6 victory at Reliant Stadium to improve to 2-0.
Cincinnati managed only 267 total yards and 12 first downs, but Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase provided the offense with the two plays it needed.
After punting on each of their first four possessions, the Bengals finally broke through late in the second quarter. After finding Tee Higgins on two explosive plays, Burrow capped an 81-yard drive by finding Chase for a 32-yard touchdown, giving Cincinnati a 7-0 lead with 3:29 remaining before halftime.
Houston answered with Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 37-yard field goal, sending Cincinnati into the locker room with a 7-3 advantage.
The Bengals extended the lead with a pair of third-quarter scoring drives. Evan McPherson connected from 51 yards before Burrow found Chase again, this time for an 18-yard touchdown that pushed Cincinnati’s advantage to 17-3.
Fairbairn made a 45-yard field goal late in the third quarter, but McPherson answered with a 57-yarder early in the fourth to complete the scoring. The kick marked McPherson’s fourth field goal of at least 50 yards through Cincinnati’s first two games.
Burrow finished 20-of-31 for 207 yards and two touchdowns, while Chase caught seven passes for 75 yards and both scores. Tee Higgins led Cincinnati with 95 receiving yards on five receptions, and Chase Brown carried 20 times for 80 yards.
It was not a particularly clean offensive performance. Burrow was sacked five times, and penalties repeatedly placed the Bengals behind schedule. Houston outgained Cincinnati 374-267, recorded 22 first downs and possessed the ball long enough to create several opportunities.
The Bengals’ defense made certain those opportunities produced almost nothing.
Houston attempted a fake field goal from the Cincinnati 16-yard line early in the second quarter, but punter Kieran Kroeger fumbled before recovering the ball and throwing an incomplete pass. Later in the quarter, the Bengals stopped David Montgomery for a one-yard loss on fourth-and-1 from the Cincinnati 18.
That pattern continued throughout the afternoon. C.J. Stroud completed 30 of 55 passes for 353 yards, but Houston never finished a drive in the end zone. Fairbairn missed a 58-yard attempt during the third quarter, and the Texans turned the ball over on downs three additional times.
Cincinnati’s pass rush also came alive in the fourth quarter, recording four sacks. Cedric Johnson collected two, including a 19-yard loss on Houston’s final offensive play. Jared Allen and Shemar Stewart added one apiece as the Bengals closed out their second victory of the season.
A Bengals team with a good defense suddenly becomes one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL.
What’s Next:
Cincinnati will play its first AFC North game of the season when it visits the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Sept. 27. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium, with the game airing on CBS.
