5 Biggest Takeaways From Bengals' Week 2 Win Over Texans

The Bengals beat the Texans 20-6 on Sunday to improve to 2-0 on the season. Cincinnati never trailed in the victory.

The Bengals are 2-0 for the second consecutive season. They controlled the game in Houston en route to a wire-to-wire victory. Here are our top takeaways from the win:

Joe Burrow's Performance

Burrow completed 20-of-31 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked five times and hit throughout the game, but he didn't get rattled. Burrow found Ja'Marr Chase for two touchdowns and leaned on his top weapons throughout the day.

The numbers don't jump off the page, but Burrow played well, finishing with a 105.2 quarterback rating.

Dexter Lawrence

Bengals defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence was dominant on Sunday. He finished with three tackles, one quarterback hit and one tackle for loss. The tackle for loss happened on 4th-and-inches in the first half, which kept the Texans scoreless.

Lawrence broke through double teams, opened things up for his teammates and was the best player on a defense that controlled the game.

The Bengals finished with four sacks: one from Kris Jenkins Jr. and another by Jonathan Allen. Then, Shemar Stewart and Cedric Johnson got sacks with the Texans running the two minute drill late in the fourth quarter. They also hit CJ Stroud five times and forced six tackles-for-loss as a unit.

Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins Shine

Burrow leaned on Chase and Tee Higgins throughout the game. Higgins led the Bengals with five catches for 95 yards on 10 targets, including two 20+ yard catches for first downs. Chase had seven catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns. That includes one of the best catches you'll see in a game this season.

O-Line Struggles

The Bengals' offensive line struggled for most of the day. They were called for five penalties, including multiple false starts by Orlando Brown Jr.

Burrow was sacked five times and the Texans tallied another 10 quarterback hits. Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter made their presence felt, but Burrow weathered the storm and got into a rhythm in the second half.

Once he got into a rhythm, he had no problem going off script and using his legs to help create plays downfield.

This was a big test for the offensive line and they struggled, but Burrow was good enough to keep the offense in a good position—especially in the second half.

Money Mac

Evan McPherson may be the best kicker in football. "Money Mac" made both of his field goal attempts and both extra points. Both of his field goals were from 50+ yards (51 and 57).

Bottom Line

The Bengals have plenty of firepower on offense, a disruptive defense and a kicker that has unlimited range. They didn't play perfect and have plenty to work on, but controlled the game and won on the road. This is exactly what an AFC contender should look like in September.

Up Next

The Bengals head to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. ET.

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