The Bengals left Week 1 with a win, and the defense did much of the heavy lifting against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now the challenge gets sharper: a road trip to Houston, where Cincinnati is an underdog against the Texans.
If the Bengals are going to pull off the upset, they need more than just another solid team effort. They need a few players to tilt the matchup.
Ja’Marr Chase is the obvious place to start. He’s widely regarded as one of the NFL’s elite receivers, with some even calling him the best pass catcher in the league, but he was a non-factor last week.
Chase was targeted four times and finished with two catches for 12 yards, ranking seventh on the team in receiving production behind two tight ends and two running backs. That won’t cut it against Derek Stingley and a Texans defense that sits at the top of the league.
If Chase gets bottled up again, Cincinnati could struggle to move the ball at all.
On the defensive side, Dexter Lawrence has to be a problem. He didn’t record a sack against Tampa Bay, but he was still influencing the game by pressuring the quarterback and disrupting plays in the backfield throughout the afternoon.
That kind of impact needs to show up again if the Bengals want to make life miserable for C.J. Stroud.
Houston got good work at the goal line last week, finishing with a pair of David Montgomery touchdowns, and Lawrence has to help make sure that doesn’t become a trend on Sunday.
The third key piece is up front, where rookie tackle Amarius Mims faces a brutal assignment. He’ll spend plenty of time matched with Will Anderson, one of the league’s best speed rushers, and Danielle Hunter should also see him.
That’s a dangerous combination for Cincinnati’s offensive line and for Joe Burrow, too. Mims will likely need help from tight ends, running backs, and double teams to keep Anderson in check, but the Bengals can’t let either edge rusher take over the game on his own.
Orlando Brown Jr. and Mims are staring at a major test, and how they handle it could go a long way toward deciding whether Cincinnati can steal one in Houston.
In Other News...
Joe Burrows Latest Injury Hint Should Worry Bengals Fans
Joe Burrow had already taken his share of punishment by the time the Bengals left Week 2 behind, and one on-field exchange with Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. only added to the unease. Anderson was everywhere in Houstons pass rush, piling up eight tackles, a sack, three tackles for loss and two quarterback hits, the kind of disruptive day that can leave a quarterback feeling every snap long after the game ends.
Afterward, Burrow told Anderson that the Texans had helped pop his rib back into place, a comment he later shrugged off with a smile. Even if he tried to play it lightly, it was the sort of offhand remark Bengals fans have reason to notice, especially with Anderson looking every bit like the two-time Pro Bowler and 2023 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year he is becoming. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Burrows Postgame Message Should Fire Up Bengals Fans
Joe Burrow helped steer Cincinnati to a 20-6 win over Houston on Sunday, pushing the Bengals to 2-0 and giving the early part of the season a familiar feel. Even with some soreness in the mix, Burrow still found Ja'Marr Chase for two touchdown passes, and the offense did enough to keep the Texans at arm's length while the defense set the tone.
The more encouraging part for Bengals fans may have been the way the team won it. Houston never reached the end zone, with Cincinnati's defense smothering the Texans for most of the afternoon and making Burrow's efficient performance count even more. After a start like that, the message coming out of the locker room figures to matter just as much as the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]
Dexter Lawrence Is Already Creating A Bengals Dilemma Texans Know Well
Dexter Lawrence II did not need a gaudy stat line in his Bengals debut to change the game. He was doubled often in Cincinnatis Week 1 win, and that kind of attention can reshape everything around him, from how blockers set their feet to how the rest of the front gets freed up. It is the sort of presence teams spend all week trying to account for, and the Bengals are already seeing how quickly he can alter their defensive math.
Houston knows that problem well enough to talk about it before the matchup arrives. Texans general manager Nick Caserio praised Lawrences athleticism and compared him to former Patriots All-Pro Vince Wilfork, a reminder of just how rare a player like this can be when he starts commanding so much attention. For Cincinnati, the next question is not whether Lawrence can draw a crowd in the middle. It is how much more disruptive the defense can become when opponents have to build their entire plan around him. [Read more 🡒]