Winners and losers as Joe Burrow's Bengals dismiss Texans to start 2-0
USA Today • • sports
Key Points:
- The Cincinnati Bengals' revamped defense held strong in a 20-6 victory over the Houston Texans despite being outgained 374-267 and facing 55 passing attempts by C.J. Stroud.
- Bengals receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins were key contributors, combining for nearly all of Cincinnati's receiving yards and scoring multiple touchdowns.
- Houston's Will Anderson Jr. and Dexter Lawrence stood out defensively, with Anderson recording a sack and multiple tackles for loss, while Lawrence disrupted the Texans' interior line.
- The Texans' run game struggled significantly, with running backs gaining just 13 yards on 10 carries before halftime, limiting Houston's offensive versatility.
- Houston's offense faltered on critical downs, converting only 5 of 17 third downs and failing on all four fourth-down attempts, while also failing to score in four red-zone trips, highlighting issues in execution without key players like Nico Collins.
