Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) passes as he is hit by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. (44) during the first half of an NFL football game at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Houston Texans tight end Foster Moreau (87) leaps past Cincinnati Bengals safety Jordan Battle (27) after a catch for a first down during the first half of an NFL football game at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Houston Texans running back Woody Marks (4) is hit by Cincinnati Bengals safety Bryan Cook (6) as he makes a catch during the first half of an NFL football game at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) passes as he is hit by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. (44) during the first half of an NFL football game at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Houston Texans defensive ends Will Anderson Jr. (51) and Logan Hall (96) converge on Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) for a sack during the first half of an NFL football game at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) knocks down a pass by Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) during the first half of an NFL football game at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans taps Houston Texans defensive end Dominique Robinson (94) on the helmet during warm ups before an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Houston Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley calls a play while the Texans warm up before an NFL football game at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Houston Texans running back Woody Marks (4) warms up before an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Houston Texans running back David Montgomery warms up before an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans watches his team warm up before an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) warms up before an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) warms up before an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Houston Texans CEO Cal McNair watches his team warm up before an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Dragon dancers perform outside Reliant Stadium for International Day before an NFL football game between the Houston Texans and the Cincinnati Bengals at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Deep Steel Thunder perform outside Reliant Stadium for International Day before an NFL football game between the Houston Texans and the Cincinnati Bengals at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Dragon dancers one the Houston Texans Cheerleaders perform outside Reliant Stadium for International Day before an NFL football game between the Houston Texans and the Cincinnati Bengals at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Dragon dancers perform outside Reliant Stadium for International Day before an NFL football game between the Houston Texans and the Cincinnati Bengals at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Another year, another 0-for to start a Houston Texans season.
An offensively challenged 20-6 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon at Reliant Stadium dropped the Texans to 0-2 on the season.
For the third time in coach DeMeco Ryans’ four seasons, the Texans have started 0-2. They overcame 0-2 and 0-3 starts in 2023 and 2025, respectively, to make the playoffs, so there is evidence bad starts can be erased. But it’s far from ideal for a franchise that began the season with higher aspirations like hosting a divisional-round playoff game for the first time.
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The Texans’ only scoring came from two Ka’imi Fairbairn field goals. They were held without a touchdown for the first time since an 18-15 loss to the Broncos in Week 9 last season. Houston did outgain Cincinnati 374-267, but were 0-for-4 on red-zone trips. Going back to the Week 1 loss to Buffalo, the Texans have failed to score a touchdown on 16 straight possessions.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, playing for the first time in Houston in his seventh NFL season, threw a pair of touchdown passes to Ja’Marr Chase, a fellow former LSU standout, as Cincinnati overcame some self-inflicted errors.
The Texans, playing without top receiver Nico Collins, definitely felt his absence as the offense was by and large unable to sustain long drives. The Texans had two turnovers on downs twice in the red zone, including a botched field-goal attempt after a bad snap. — Greg Rajan
Cincinnati
0
7
10
3
—
20
Houston
0
3
3
0
—
6
Second Quarter
Cin_Chase 32 pass from Burrow (McPherson kick), 3:29. Drive: 7 plays, 81 yards, 3:24. Key Plays: Burrow 18 pass to T.Higgins on 3rd-and-8; Burrow 23 pass to T.Higgins on 3rd-and-4. Cincinnati 7, Houston 0.
Hou_FG Fairbairn 37, 1:17. Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards, 2:12. Key Plays: T.Smith kick return to Houston 27; Stroud 13 pass to Hutchinson; Stroud 15 pass to Schultz; Stroud 18 pass to Hutchinson. Cincinnati 7, Houston 3.
Third Quarter
Cin_FG McPherson 51, 12:28. Drive: 4 plays, 8 yards, 2:02. Key Play: Burrow 7 pass to Iosivas on 3rd-and-9. Cincinnati 10, Houston 3.
Cin_Chase 18 pass from Burrow (McPherson kick), 3:03. Drive: 8 plays, 52 yards, 4:26. Key Plays: Burrow 16 pass to Perine on 3rd-and-7; C.Brown 11 run. Cincinnati 17, Houston 3.
Hou_FG Fairbairn 45, :35. Drive: 8 plays, 42 yards, 2:28. Key Plays: Marks kick return to Houston 31; Stroud 11 run; Stroud 21 pass to Boutte. Cincinnati 17, Houston 6.
Fourth Quarter
Cin_FG McPherson 57, 12:16. Drive: 8 plays, 33 yards, 3:19. Key Plays: Meyers kick return to Cincinnati 28; Burrow 23 pass to T.Higgins on 3rd-and-5. Cincinnati 20, Houston 6.
___
Cin
Hou
FIRST DOWNS
12
22
Rushing
3
3
Passing
9
15
Penalty
0
4
THIRD DOWN EFF
5-15
5-17
FOURTH DOWN EFF
0-0
0-4
TOTAL NET YARDS
267
374
Total Plays
59
78
Avg Gain
4.5
4.8
NET YARDS RUSHING
85
60
Rushes
23
18
Avg per rush
3.696
3.333
NET YARDS PASSING
182
314
Sacked-Yds lost
5-25
4-39
Gross-Yds passing
207
353
Completed-Att.
20-31
30-56
Had Intercepted
0
0
Yards-Pass Play
5.056
5.233
KICKOFFS-EndZone-TB
5-1-1
3-0-0
PUNTS-Avg.
8-43.125
5-41.4
Punts blocked
0
0
FGs-PATs blocked
0-0
0-0
TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE
109
125
Punt Returns
3-19
3-32
Kickoff Returns
3-90
4-93
Interceptions
0-0
0-0
PENALTIES-Yds
12-78
9-83
FUMBLES-Lost
0-0
1-0
TIME OF POSSESSION
30:49
29:11
___
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING_Cincinnati, C.Brown 20-80, Perine 2-6, Burrow 1-(minus 1). Houston, Stroud 3-29, Noel 1-13, Montgomery 6-10, Marks 8-8.
PASSING_Cincinnati, Burrow 20-31-0-207. Houston, Stroud 30-55-0-353, Kroeger 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING_Cincinnati, Chase 7-75, Higgins 5-95, C.Brown 3-2, All 2-5, Perine 1-16, Iosivas 1-7, Young 1-7. Houston, Schultz 12-140, Marks 5-27, Boutte 3-37, Hutchinson 3-37, Moreau 2-34, Wayne 2-33, Montgomery 2-14, Noel 1-31.
PUNT RETURNS_Cincinnati, Meyers 3-19. Houston, Noel 3-32.
KICKOFF RETURNS_Cincinnati, Meyers 3-90. Houston, Marks 2-40, Noel 1-31, T.Smith 1-22.
TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS_Cincinnati, Knight 4-8-0, D.Hill 4-6-0, Battle 4-4-0, Turner 4-1-0, Cook 3-1-0, Allen 3-0-1, Carter 2-3-0, C.Johnson 2-1-2, J.Davis 2-1-0, Lawrence 2-1-0, Stewart 2-0-1, Slaton 2-0-0, Mafe 1-1-0, T.Davis 1-0-0, Jenkins 1-0-0, Murphy 1-0-0, Howell 0-1-0. Houston, Al-Shaair 6-6-0, Anderson 4-4-1, Lassiter 4-1-0, Blankenship 3-2-0, Pitre 3-1-0, L.Hall 2-1-1, Rankins 2-1-1, Stingley 2-1-0, Togiai 1-5-0, Hansen 1-3-0, Harsh 1-1-.5, Hunter 1-0-1, J.Smith 1-0-0, Edwards 0-4-.5.
INTERCEPTIONS_Cincinnati, None. Houston, None.
MISSED FIELD GOALS_Houston, Fairbairn 58.
___
OFFICIALS_Referee Adrian Hill, Ump Roy Ellison, HL Danny Short, LJ Julian Mapp, FJ Tra Boger, SJ Glen Fucik, BJ Greg Steed, Replay Bob Hubbell.
Here’s how the game played out:
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The Texans trail the Bengals 20-6 at the two-minute warning. Houston has the ball at its own 18. — Matt Young
The Bengals get another stop on a fourth-and-1, and it’s looking like the Texans are on their way to an 0-2 start. Cincinnati leads 20-6 with three minutes remaining. — Peter Warren
Houston has gone 14 straight drives without a touchdown, per CBS. — Peter Warren
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Cincinnati has been much more balanced throughout the game compared to the Texans offense, recipients of boos after the team’s last drive went nowhere. Houston has abandoned the running game in the second half. David Montgomery has zero carries and Woody Marks has just four carries for five yards as three Stroud scrambles account for nearly half of the total rush yards. That’s likely not going to change as the Texans need 14 points in just over five minutes. Expect a lot of Stroud throwing the ball. — Peter Warren
Will Anderson Jr., lines up as a linebacker on a third down play and bullrushes the center Dylan Fairchild. Sheldon Rankins comes in right behind him for the sack. — Peter Warren
A great play by Derek Stingley Jr. to break up Joe Burrow’s quick throw to Tee Higgins and get another third down stop.
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One of the best plays from the secondary on the day. — Peter Warren
The Texans’ offensive line needs to be better on third down. The Bengals only bring four on the play but three of them get past the Houston line with ease, giving C.J. Stroud no hope and leading to an intentional grounding. — Peter Warren
C.J. Stroud is over 250 passing yards on the day following a beautiful throw to Jaylin Noel.
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He had only three games of 250+ yards in 2025. Now he’s eclipsed that benchmark in each of the first two games of 2026.
Cincinnati has taken advantage of its drives that pass midfield, scoring on four of five of them.
Houston, on the other hand, has finished five drives inside the Bengals’ 40 and only emerged with six points. Some of that is on the offense for not finishing possessions with touchdowns but special teams hasn’t been good enough, either. — Peter Warren
Evan McPherson hammers a 57-yard field goal to put the Bengals back up by two touchdowns with 12:16 left in the fourth quarter. — Greg Rajan
The Texans haven’t forced any turnovers today. That’s another difference in this game. They needed to do that to make things easier for the offense. They were one of the best in the league last season at doing that. — Jonathan M. Alexander
The Texans have 15 minutes to avoid their third 0-2 start in four seasons. — Greg Rajan
Ka’imi Fairbairn hits it pure through the uprights a 45-yard field goal.
So Fairbairn has been good from 45 and 37, short from 58 and then the bad snap negated another attempt.
Going 2 of 4 isn’t going to cut it. — Greg Rajan
A 45-yard field goal from Ka’imi Fairbairn with 35 seconds left in the third quarter cuts into the Bengals’ lead. — Greg Rajan
Houston can’t bring Burrow down again on a third down and he makes the Texans pay with a touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase.
All of Cincinnati’s third down conversions have come on its touchdown drives. — Peter Warren
Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase hook up again for a touchdown, this one from 18 yards out as Burrow rolled out of the pocket before finding Chase on a crossing route with 3:03 left in the third quarter. — Greg Rajan
Huge third-down conversion as Burrow throws it to an open Semaje Perine to move the chains, despite Logan Hall bringing him down on the throw. — Peter Warren
The Texans had 26 rushing yards in the first half. The team had 20 yards on that last drive but couldn’t get one more on a third-and-1.
That one yard makes a huge difference as Fairbairn’s field goal is short from 58 yards away. — Peter Warren
Ka’imi Fairbairn, who’s regularly drilled long field goals over the years, is short on a 58-yarder with 7:29 left in the third quarter. — Greg Rajan
Rookie Keylan Rutledge hasn’t had a good game today. He’s gotten beat on the inside on run plays and he had a bad false start penalty. — Jonathan M. Alexander
Evan McPherson nails a 51-yard field goal to up the Bengals’ lead with 12:28 left in the third quarter. — Greg Rajan
Kai Kroeger had a good Week 1 but this week has been one to forget.
His latest punt goes for only 35 yards and Dohnte Meyers returns it 16 yards. A Foster Moreau penalty moves it another 15 yards.
So a Houston drive that ended at its 36 turns into a Cincinnati drive that starts at the Houston 41. — Peter Warren
One element of Houston’s passing game that hasn’t been utilized without Nico Collins in the game has been Jaylin Noel.
Noel does have an end-around run for 13 yards but he has no catches on two targets. Lewis Bond, who got elevated from the practice squad for the game and is a similar player to Noel, also doesn’t have any targets.
Xavier Hutchinson and Dalton Schultz have been the two main options in the passing game with 10 targets between them. — Peter Warren
Cincinnati struggled on third down over its first four possessions, averaging a distance of 13 yards on four third-down plays.
That changed on its touchdown drive. The Texans pass rush couldn’t get to Joe Burrow, and he made them pay with two completions to Tee Higgins for 18 yards and then 23 yards.
But Houston put the Bengals in third-and-long on their last possession of the half, forcing Cincinnati into a draw play and then a punt. — Peter Warren
It wasn’t a pretty first half for the Texans’ offense and special teams. The offense was unable to run the ball, and special teams were a huge problem, too. The Texans still have a chance. They’ll get the ball to start the second half.
C.J. Stroud is 14-of-22 for 188 yards and is desperately trying to keep the offense in this game. But without a run game, it will likely be more of the same. — Jonathan M. Alexander
The Texans weren’t able to do anything with those final 21 seconds, so they’ll go into halftime trailing. — Matt Young
Originally, it was ruled that Will Anderson Jr., and Logan Hall combined on a sack in the first quarter, but it’s since been changed to a full sack for Hall. A bit of a curious decision as Anderson held Joe Burrow’s leg while Hall came up and cleaned up, pulling him down. Since then, Anderson has added a sack on his own. For now, it’s ruled that he has just one sack in the game, instead of 1 ½. — Matt Young
The Texans’ defense got another stop and the offense takes over at its own 23 with 21 seconds left before the half. — Matt Young
Not the best snap again from Austin Brinkman on the FG attempt but Kroeger gets the hold down and Fairbairn knocks it through the uprights. Texans trail 7-3 late in the first half. — Peter Warren
For those listening to the game on the radio, the most recent Texans drive was interrupted briefly for a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. The test was over in time to catch Houston’s field goal. — Reid Laymance
C.J. Stroud has actually played pretty well today, all things considered, but the run game hasn’t had any success today. David Montgomery and Woody Marks have 10 yards on 9 carries. — Jonathan M. Alexander
The Houston tight ends have provided some spark in the medium passing game with Schultz and Foster Moreau each on the receiving end of 25+ yard completions. Without Nico Collins, the Texans need pass catchers to step up. Schultz, in particular, has done so. He’s already up to 68 yards receiving with 41 yards after the catch. — Peter Warren
Special teams has been a big issue for the Texans’ today, and I’d argue it’s the reason they are losing. From Kai Kroeger’s short punts, to him not handling the snap on the field goal, and the kick coverage, none of it has been good. — Jonathan M. Alexander
Texans fans gathered outside the stadium Sunday to tailgate before Houston’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Fans fired up grills and prepared a variety of game-day food ahead of kickoff. Here’s a look at the tailgate scene before the Texans-Bengals matchup. — Brett Coomer
Ja’Marr Chase with arguably the catch of the young season, somehow getting both feet in the front corner of the end zone for a touchdown to open the scoring despite stumbling while turning for the football. Only a select few wideouts in the league can make a catch like that. — Peter Warren
Cincinnati breaks the scoring seal on this game with a 32-yard touchdown pass from Joe Burrow to Ja’Marr Chase, who made a beautiful toe-tap in the end zone. A seven-play, 81-yard drive for the Bengals. There’s 3:29 left in the first half. — Greg Rajan
Two missed opportunities from the Texans’ offense now. Despite having the ball in Bengals territory twice, they haven’t been able to cash in. The last one, their offensive line dominated by the Bengals defensive line, which led to that 2-yard loss. The score is still 0-0. At some point, someone has to score. — Jonathan M. Alexander
Houston went 2-for-2 on fourth down conversions in Week 1. The Texans are 0 of 2 against the Bengals, with both failures coming inside the red zone, although the first one was on failed pass after a bad snap on a field goal attempt. — Peter Warren
The Texans once again came up scoreless after a good drive. This time, they were stopped on an 4th-and-1 at the Bengals’ 18 when David Montgomery was dropped for a one-yard loss. — Matt Young
With no Nico Collins, Texans having to get creative in the passing game. Texans tight ends have combined for 4 catches for 78 yards. Running backs for 3 catches for 24 yards. Kayshon Boutte is the only receiver with a catch (2 for 16). — Matt Young
The Bengals are up to five penalties through the first 20 minutes of this game, including two on that last drive. — Peter Warren
The Texans have had little trouble getting to Joe Burrow today. Danielle Hunter got home on Joe Burrow for the Texans’ second sack and fourth pressure — Jonathan M. Alexander
A bad snap from the center leads to Kai Korger not getting the ball down for the Ka’imi Fairbairn kick. A missed opportunity for the Texans. The special teams unit has not be great today. — Jonathan M. Alexander
After four incompletions to start the game, Stroud is now 4 of 5 with two throws of 15+ yards and two third-down throws to move the chains. — Peter Warren
Woody Marks earned every bit of that first down. Facing a third-and-12, C.J. Stroud hit Marks with a short pass, then he bulldozed multiple tacklers to pick up exactly 12 yards. — Jonathan M. Alexander
After a pair of three-and-outs, the Texans are moving and into Bengals territory for the first time. An end-around by Jaylin Noel went for 13 yards to set up Houston at the Bengals’ 32 late in the first quarter of a scoreless game. — Matt Young
The Texans’ first first down is an explosive play to Dalton Schultz for 35 yards. Huge play by Schultz, who I expect will see a lot of targets today. — Jonathan M. Alexander
Dominique Robinson and Sebastian Harsh have each gotten some early run spelling Will Anderson Jr. or Danielle Hunter for a few snaps on Cincinnati’s second and third drives. With Jadeveon Clowney out today, both will have larger roles off the bench. — Peter Warren
Evan McPherson’s 58-yard field goal slides in between the uprights but a false-start penalty moves Cincinnati out of a range and the Bengals elect to punt.
That’s the type of play that might get forgotten later in the game but could be a huge difference maker. — Greg Rajan
The Bengals are helping the Texans. A holding penalty wiped out a long run by Chase Brown and a false start just kiboshed an Evan McPherson field goal try. Instead, Cincinnati punted again. — Greg Rajan
Kai Kroeger’s punt bounces ahead of returner Dohnte Meyers and then bounces off a Bengals player’s leg for a live ball but Meyers recovers. — Peter Warren
Jaylin Noel did not see the field on the Texans’ first possession and the second-year receiver is not out there to start this one either. The Texans opted to go with Lewis Bond starting in the slot instead of Noel. — Matt Young
Cincinnati gets the ball to midfield again, but Will Anderson Jr. and Logan Hall team up for a third-down sack of Joe Burrow to force a second Bengals punt. — Greg Rajan
The loss of Nico Collins is already being felt. Two dropped balls on the first series from Xavier Hutchinson and Jared Wayne, and the Texans have a three-and-out. This might be an ugly game today. — Jonathan M. Alexander
An uninspiring first offensive series for the Texans, who gain 2 yards before punting. — Greg Rajan
Ja’Marr Chase makes a good catch over the middle on third down but DeMeco Ryans throws the challenge flag. The refs review and Chase didn’t have full control when he went to the ground, and the Bengals will punt.
Ryans entered the season having only thrown the challenge flag nine times in his career as a head coach, per Pro Football Reference. He won only two of those challenges, both in 2023. — Peter Warren
Interesting use of Reed Blankenship on the first play. The Texans had him blitz, which pressured Joe Burrow to get to the ball out of his hands quickly. Blankenship really struggled in coverage last week. — Jonathan M. Alexander
Bengals return man Dohnte Meyers had a 40-yard kickoff return to set up Cincinnati at the 41, but it could have been much worse for the Texans. Meyers had a hole and looked like he might be able to go all the way but he tripped on the turf. — Matt Young
There was a lot of talk this week about Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow having a stiff back. He looked fine going through pregame workouts. Fox’s Jay Glazer reported that Burrow texted him that all the talk of the injury was overblown and that he’s “totally good.” — Matt Young
Turnovers are obviously an important subplot in any NFL game, but the Bengals’ defense made a rare bit of history last week in their opening win over the Buccaneers. Per the NFL, Cincinnati became the fifth team since 1963 with four sacks, four defensive fumble recoveries and a defensive touchdown in a season opener, joining the 1984 New York Jets, 1988 Los Angeles Rams, 1989 Cleveland Browns and 1993 New Orleans Saints. — Greg Rajan
Here are today’s Texans inactives:
DE Jadeveon Clowney
WR Nico Collins
LB Jake Hummel
G Ed Ingram
TE Brevin Jordan
T Nate Thomas
CB Collin Wright
DT B.J. Hill
OT Myles Hinton
QB Josh Johnson
C Conner Lew
CB Josh Newton
DT Landon Robinson
WR Ke’Shawn Williams
When: Noon
TV: CBS with Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Trent Green (analyst) and Melanie Collins (sideline reporter)
Radio: 95.7 FM, 610 AM, 101.1 FM (Spanish)