Brandon Allen Leads Bengals Past Texans 37-31, Zac Taylor Picks Up First Road Win
CINCINNATI — The Bengals desperately needed a road win and that’s exactly what they got on Sunday.
Cincinnati's offense was dominant in the 37-31 win over Deshaun Watson and the Texans.
They finished with a season-high 540 yards of offense.
Bengals quarterback Brandon Allen completed his first seven passes and never looked back. The 28-year-old completed 29-of-37 passes for 371 yards and two touchdowns.
He had good command of the offense and connected with multiple wide receivers deep downfield.
Allen picked up right where he left off in Week 14 after missing last week's matchup against the Steelers.
The Bengals' defense was shredded for most of the second half, but forced a turnover when they needed it most.
Sam Hubbard sacked Watson with 1:35 remaining and forced a fumble that was recovered by Margus Hunt.
That led to an Austin Seibert field goal and Cincinnati picked up their first road win in more than two years.
The Bengals improve to 4-10-1 on the season. Houston falls to 4-11.
Rushing Attack
The Bengals did anything they wanted on offense. They moved the ball up and down the field. Not only did Allen get going through the air, but the ground game took off in the second half.
Samaje Perine had a 46-yard touchdown run that gave the Bengals a 17-10 lead. This was the first time they consistently ran the ball since their Week 4 win over Jacksonville.
The Bengals finished with 169 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 33 attempts.
Winless No More
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor hadn't won a road game in two seasons prior to Sunday's win over the Texans. He improves to 1-14-1 away from Paul Brown Stadium.
It's the first time they've won back-to-back games under Taylor. He improves to 6-24-1 since being hired in 2019.
Up Next
The Bengals finish the season against the Ravens on Jan. 3 at Paul Brown Stadium. The game will likely have playoff implications, with Baltimore hoping to secure a spot in the postseason. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. at Paul Brown Stadium.
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