Houston Texans vs. Cincinnati Bengals Notebook: A Balanced Offense and A Star in the Making
Just one week removed from C.J. Stroud's historic performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Houston Texans hit the road to Cincinnati to face a red-hot Joe Burrow-led Bengals squad.
A win would put Houston one game behind the Jacksonville Jaguars — a team it has the tiebreaker over — and one step closer to first place in the AFC South. A loss would do the opposite, as the Texans would begin to align more with the Tennessee Titans at the bottom of the ranking than anywhere near the top.
But with the game on the line, Stroud worked his magic, getting the Texans well within field goal range with just 90 seconds to start with. He set up Matt Ammendola, who signed with Houston during the week in place of Ka'imi Fairbairn, and the kicker came through. This time, the Texans were on the right side of the last-second antics.
"Wins in the NFL don't come easy," Stroud said immediately after the game. "I turned the ball over ... my defense went and fought for me and by the glory of God, we pulled out the win."
Easy or not, here are three takeaways from Houston's drama-filled road victory:
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) throws under pressure from Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) in the second quarter of a Week 10 NFL football game between the Houston Texans and the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.
© Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
A Balanced Offense Pt. 1: Passing
A key to any successful offense is being able to attack on multiple fronts. To this point in the season, the Texans have had one. And that showed again Sunday afternoon.
Led by Stroud, Houston put up 356 passing yards and a passing touchdown in its victory, which isn't anything out of the ordinary, but it wasn't just the stats that mattered.
Tank Dell has been a top target for the Texans all year, which garnered him a significant amount of defensive attention, but that was expected. What wasn't expected was Noah Brown having himself the best receiving game of his career.
By the end of the game, Brown tallied seven receptions for 172 yards and while he didn't find the end zone, he didn't need to. He put his team in a good position all night, and when it mattered, he turned a Stroud pass into a Stroud completion.
Dell recorded the Texans' lone passing touchdown, but his significantly lower yards total said all it needed to about Houston's ability to spread the wealth. And as it showed Sunday, that's equally as important as one lone standout.
A Balanced Offense Pt. 2: Rushing
With a quarterback as talented as Stroud has turned out to be, having a strong passing game is a given. But having that as a positive leaves more room for other negatives.
And for the Texans, that's been the run game.
Just one season ago, Houston's starting running back, Dameon Pierce, had himself a standout year that ended just short of the 1,000-yard mark. He was given the Angry Run of the Year Award and all signs pointed to a breakout year for him, but that hasn't been the case. Pierce hasn't tallied more than 81 yards in a single game all season.
He still hasn't, but now, the Texans have had a 100-yard rushing game from one player — Devin Singletary.
While the Bengals' defensive attention was focused on Stroud, Dell, and — later in the game — Brown, the run game was finally able to open up. Singletary rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown to mark his first of the year, and Houston was able to reap all of the benefits of a multi-faceted offense. That just makes the Texans even scarier.
A Future Star in the Making: C.J. Stroud
With 1:33 left on the game clock and the ball in his hands, Stroud and the Texans found themselves in a familiar position.
Just a week prior, they had the ball with even less time and were able to march the ball down the field to secure a last-second victory.
This week, it looked slightly different.
For one, the Texans had much more time to work with, and for two, a failed drive wouldn't have resulted in a loss, but just an overtime period. Still, the stakes were high, and still, Stroud delivered.
It only took five plays, but the Texans capped off a five-play drive with a game-winning field goal to secure a record over .500 once again and move into second place in the AFC South. Following that drive, Stroud had notched his second straight game with 350 yards or more and his seventh all-purpose touchdown in two outings.
It sounds repetitive at this point, but for Texans fans, it couldn't be better: Stroud is truly a rising star — and to some, an MVP candidate.
Only time can tell what Stroud ends up becoming eligible for, but right now, he's focused on earning wins and playing his best. And so far, that's worked incredibly.
