Bengals vs. Texans Score Prediction for NFL Week 2 (Can Cincy Pull Off an Upset?)

Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals are 1-0 to open the 2026 season, but they find themselves as road underdogs in Week 2 against the Houston Texans.

Both of these teams entered the season with shorter than 20/1 odds to win the Super Bowl, though the Texans came up short in Week 1 as underdogs against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.

The vaunted Houston defense allowed 36 points in that game, and it has another tough test on Sunday against Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Co., who scored 33 points in Week 1 even though Chase had just two catches for 12 yards.

When Burrow is healthy, the Bengals have the talent to be a playoff team, especially with their improved defense that turned the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over several times in Week 1. Can C.J. Stroud avoid a similar fate in Week 2?

All season long, the SI Betting team plans to use the latest odds and our game analysis to predict the final score of every game, helping bettors decide on their spread, total and moneyline picks in the process.

Here’s a look at my prediction for Sunday’s matchup between these AFC contenders.

Bengals vs. Texans Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Bengals +2.5 (-105)
Texans -2.5 (-115)

Moneyline

Bengals: +120
Texans: -142

Total

46.5 (Over -108/Under -112)

The total in this matchup has dropped a point since opening at 47.5, but the rest of the odds have stayed pretty steady.

Cincinnati won and covered in Week 1 against Tampa Bay while the Texans blew a win and cover in the final minutes against Buffalo. Both of these teams have playoff expectations, so it makes sense that this line is inside three on Sunday.

Bengals vs. Texans Score Prediction

There were a lot of positives to take away from the Bengals’ season opener, as they forced a bunch of turnovers against the Buccaneers and posted a top-10 EPA/Play on that side of the ball.

If the Bengals are able to be anywhere near a top-10 defense, this team could be really dangerous in the AFC.

Now, the Houston defense was No. 1 in the league in 2025, but it did not play up to that standard against Josh Allen in Week 1, allowing 334 passing yards, 36 points and two 100-yard receivers while ranking 28th in EPA/Play and 30th in EPA/Pass.

I don’t expect that to be the norm for this Houston defense, yet things don’t get any easier in Week 2 with Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase on deck. The Bengals didn’t even have a great offensive game (19th in EPA/Play, 12th in success rate) in Week 1, and they still put up 33 points.

Houston’s offense was much improved from last season, scoring 31 points against Buffalo, but with the game on the line, C.J. Stroud turned the ball over – something we’ve said way too often in recent seasons.

I understand the sentiment around this Houston team, but I think there’s a real chance the Bengals pull off an upset in this matchup. After all, the Texans got off to a slow start in 2025 before their defense willed them into a playoff spot down the stretch.

Cincy is one of my favorite upset plays in Week 2.

Final Score Prediction: Bengals 24, Texans 20

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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