Bengals Winners and Losers From 20-6 Win Over Texans

The Bengals and Joe Burrow improved to 2-0 on Sunday after they beat the Texans 20-6 in Houston.

Here are four winners and three losers from their dominant victory:

Winner: Ja'Marr Chase

What a bounce back game from Chase. After catching two passes last week for 12 yards, Chase reminded the world who he is with an incredible deep touchdown grab despite great coverage from Derek Stingley Jr. Chase scored again in the third quarter to give the Bengals complete control of the game.

In a dominant performance against a talented secondary, Chase finished with seven catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns.

Loser: Team Penalties

The penalties continued to be an issue this week for the team. They finished with 12 penalties for 78 yards consistently. That put the offense behind the sticks quickly or put the defense in a tough spot.

The most egregious penalty came on a false start from veteran guard Dalton Risner on what would have been a successful 58-yard field goal from Evan McPherson. Instead, they had to punt after the false start penalty. Two weeks into the season it is normal for teams to struggle with discipline as they gain their footing for the season, but this cannot become a recurring theme for the Bengals this year.

Winner: Dexter Lawrence II

Lawrence popped with back-to-back big plays to turn the ball over on downs in the redzone. Lawrence erupted through the offensive line on a 4th and inches and took down David Montgomery for a big time stop on what looked like a promising drive for the Houston offense.

He later had an impactful pressure on Stroud and forced him into committing an intentional grounding penalty on 3rd and 11 in the fourth quarter.

Loser: Orlando Brown Jr.

Brown had a rough day against and got beat a couple different times by Danielle Hunter, with Hunter getting by him quickly at one point for a big sack on Burrow. He was called for two false starts, gave up at least five pressures and two sacks.

Winner: Joe Burrow

Burrow had a solid performance against the Texans defense, finishing with 20 completions for 207 yards, and two touchdowns. His connection with Chase came on display in the first half on a 32-yard touchdown pass, and later he and Chase connected again for an 18-yard touchdown grab.

Burrow looked comfortable in the pocket as the game continued, escaping the pocket when necessary and creating openings downfield for receivers with his legs.

Loser: The Offensive Line

Cincinnati Bengals center Ted Karras (64) calls out the defense in the second quarter of the NFL Week 2 game between the Houston Texans and the Cincinnati Bengals at Reliant Stadium in Houston on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. The Bengals led 7-3 at halftime. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The offensive line felt the heat from the Texans defensive line all game. They allowed five sacks and ten quarterback hits. This also comes with five total penalties from the Bengals O-line, something that cannot continue along with Burrow being under duress constantly.

Winner: Al Golden

When your defense holds a team coming off a 31 point performance to just six points at home, that is a major win.

Golden's unit gave up their fair share of solid plays to the Texans offense, but they stiffened up when they needed to most. The defense turned the ball over on downs two separate times at critical points of the game and came up with four sacks on the day.

For more on the Bengals' win over the Texans, watch our instant reaction video below:

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