Bengals Beat Texans 20-6 in Week 2
Cincinnati Bengals 20, Houston Texans 6 at Reliant Stadium. Joe Burrow went 20 of 31 for 207 yards with 2 touchdowns.
Quarter Scoring
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bengals | 0 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 20 |
 Texans | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
Texans Leaders
Bengals Leaders
Team Stats
| Bengals | Stat | Texans |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | 1st Downs | 22 |
| 9 | Passing 1st downs | 15 |
| 3 | Rushing 1st downs | 3 |
| 0 | 1st downs from penalties | 4 |
| 5-15 | 3rd down efficiency | 5-17 |
| 0-0 | 4th down efficiency | 0-4 |
| 59 | Total Plays | 78 |
| 267 | Total Yards | 374 |
| 4.5 | Yards per Play | 4.8 |
| 13 | Total Drives | 13 |
| 182 | Passing | 314 |
| 20/31 | Comp/Att | 30/56 |
| 5.1 | Yards per pass | 5.2 |
| 0 | Interceptions thrown | 0 |
| 5-25 | Sacks-Yards Lost | 4-39 |
| 85 | Rushing | 60 |
| 23 | Rushing Attempts | 18 |
| 3.7 | Yards per rush | 3.3 |
| 1-1 | Red Zone (Made-Att) | 0-4 |
| 12-78 | Penalties | 9-83 |
| 0 | Turnovers | 0 |
| 0 | Fumbles lost | 0 |
| 0 | Interceptions thrown | 0 |
| 0 | Defensive / Special Teams TDs | 0 |
| 30:49 | Possession | 29:11 |
Scoring Plays
6 scores Week 2: Burrow Visits Stroud as Texans Try to Recover From Bills Shootout
Read the full recap →The Cincinnati Bengals visit the Houston Texans on Sunday, September 20, in the teams' first meeting since 2023. Cincinnati beat Tampa Bay 33-27 with the help of four takeaways, including a fumble-return touchdown by Demetrius Knight Jr., while Joe Burrow's offense averaged only 5.6 yards per play. Houston lost 36-31 to Buffalo despite 274 passing yards from C.J. Stroud, who lost two fumbles, the second a strip-sack in the closing seconds, as a defense that led the league in yards allowed last season gave up 36. The Texans then lost linebacker Henry To'oTo'o to injured reserve with a shoulder injury, thinning a linebacker group already missing E.J. Speed. Friday update: Houston ruled out Nico Collins (hamstring) and right guard Ed Ingram (groin), and Burrow is questionable with back soreness but expected to start.
Houston's defense after a rough opener
Losing To'oTo'o and backup Jake Hummel on top of Speed leaves DeMeco Ryans thin at linebacker against a Cincinnati offense returning the same five linemen.
Cincinnati's offense hasn't clicked yet
The Bengals won on turnovers rather than efficiency; Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins face Derek Stingley Jr. and a secondary that added Reed Blankenship.
LSU reunion
Burrow, Chase and Stingley were teammates on the 2019 national title team; Houston's Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter test a Bengals line that kept Burrow clean in Week 1.
Pregame AI Prediction
How the prediction did
Predicted 24-26 (Bengals vs Texans), final was 20-6. Miss. The Friday update trimmed Houston to 52 percent after Nico Collins was ruled out, but it did not flip the pick. C.J. Stroud threw 55 times for 353 yards without a touchdown, and Joe Burrow, playing through a sore back, threw two touchdown passes. Cincinnati's defense has now carried both of its wins.
Bengals Texans Houston's loss was self-inflicted
Two lost fumbles by Stroud, one in the final seconds, decided a game Houston led late; the pass rush and Stroud's passing were fine.
Cincinnati's win was turnover-driven
Four takeaways and a defensive touchdown masked an offense that averaged 5.6 yards per play; that formula regresses.
Burrow at full health keeps it a coin flip
A healthy Burrow with Chase and Higgins is a top-five offense on paper, and Houston's linebacker depth is the weak spot he can attack.
A narrow home lean that matches the sportsbook line. The model expects both offenses to look better than they did in Week 1. Updated Friday: with Nico Collins ruled out, the home lean shrinks from 55 to 52 percent; Burrow's questionable tag keeps it from flipping.
Venue
Closing Line
Officials
Futures odds for these teams
Super Bowl futures, win totals & where to bet
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Texans Injuries