7 Texans Takeaways From Cataclysmic Week 2 Loss to Bengals

That was a tough watch.

Coming off an underwhelming performance in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills, the Houston Texans put together an even worse outing against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 for what was one of their more concerning losses in some time, falling in a 6-20 loss and beginning with an 0-2 record to start the new year.

Let's break down exactly what to make of the Texans' Week 2 collapse against the Bengals by sorting through seven big takeaways from the action:

Another Sluggish Start in Houston

Sep 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's fair to say the start to this season has looked fairly similar to what the Texans saw to kick off their 2025 campaign: they're winless through two games, the offense looks pretty ugly and disjointed, and many are going to start panicking about what this season could look like in the weeks ahead.

And there are certainly many concerns to address before the Texans are able to rise back to even being considered in the Super Bowl mix like they were entering the season. This performance was a total disaster and has really sapped the momentum out of the building that Houston had heading into Week 1.

But before picking apart where the Texans went wrong on Sunday, it's fair to point out that there's a long season ahead. A lot can change over the next several months, as they did in 2025 after Houston was 0-3 after three games. However, there's a lot that the Texans are going to have to go back to the drawing board for in order to make that rise up the standings once again.

A Total Disaster in the Run Game

Sep 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back Woody Marks (4) runs against Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Dax Hill (23) and safety Bryan Cook (6) during the first quarter at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Of all that went wrong for the Texans offensively against Cincinnati this weekend, the most eye-catching flaws of them all came within the run game. Houston simply had no juice on the ground to kick this game off, and as the day went on, the game script went against their plans to pound the rock.

The issues can simply be summed up by looking at this metric: Houston's running back duo of David Montgomery and Woody Marks combined for 14 carries and logged just 18 total yards on the ground (1.2 yards per carry).

It's going to be hard for the Texans to top that throughout the course of this season. And if there ever is another week in which Houston's running backs average less than 1.5 yards per carry, then they probably aren't going to be winning that game either.

No Answers in the Red Zone

Jul 31, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans talks with offensive coordinator Nick Caley during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Another aspect that the Texans just couldn't get right offensively in Week 2 was their red zone attack, which naturally becomes tougher without their primary target in that area of the field in Nico Collins, but was really put on full display as they converted on none of their four red zone attempts.

Those red zone woes can also be seen from Stroud's stat line. Even as he threw 55 times in a single game for over 350 yards, the offense didn't score a single touchdown, and totaled just six points on the day.

Heading into the season, the prevailing thought remained that, with a new run game led by David Montgomery and an improved offensive front, their red zone efficiency would turn around in the right direction from 2025. In this game, their red zone attack looked worse than it ever did over the course of last season.

What No Nico Collins Does to the Offense

Aug 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) catches a pass before playing against the Las Vegas Raiders at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Even if Nico Collins is healthy, who missed this game due to a hamstring injury, it's hard to say the Texans walk out of this game 1-1. The offense looked that dysfunctional.

But Houston being without their No. 1 wideout for one game against a respectable, but not an elite Bengals defense, shows just how much Houston needs Collins for their passing attack to be anywhere near stable.

Outside of Dalton Schultz's heroics with 12 catches for 140 yards, no Texans pass-catcher totaled more than three catches or 40 yards throughout the day. A vertical, explosive, red-zone threat like Collins is a must-have for the Texans to operate at full speed. In this game, this offense wasn't anywhere near that.

Secondary Continues to Remain Underwhelming

Sep 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) makes a touchdown catch against Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. (24) during the second quarter at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Compared to last week's disappointment against the Buffalo Bills and allowing two 100-yard performances from their receivers, the Texans' secondary was a step better. Joe Burrow collected just 207 yards on the day, and no Bengals pass-catcher logged over 100 yards on the day.

However, for a secondary that many have touted as the best in the league, there's certainly still room for improvement from this group moving forward. Between allowing a big-play touchdown from Ja'Marr Chase––albeit on an incredible catch on his behalf––to seeing Tee Higgins log five catches for 95 yards, we've seen better days from the Texans' pass defense.

Joe Burrow LAUNCHES it to Ja'Marr Chase for the TD 🔥

CINvsHOU on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/4eiw31KRRE
— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026

The good news is that things probably won't get much tougher in terms of matchups for the Texans than a combination of Burrow, Chase, and Higgins. There's certainly still work to be done, though.

Even Special Teams Remained an Issue

Aug 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio (left) talks with special teams coordinator Frank Ross before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If you thought the Texans' concerns stopped on just offense or defense, you'd be wrong. Because Houston's special teams operations remained an embarrassment from start to finish in this one as well.

The following three outcomes happened on field goal attempts for the Texans at some point against the Bengals: a bobbled snap from the holder, Kai Kroeger; a missed 58-yard kick from Ka'imi Fairbairn; and an unsportsmanlike conduct on Keylan Rutledge for getting into a spat with a Bengals offensive lineman.

Texans fumble the snap and squander a FG opportunity pic.twitter.com/e3HWZY2guW
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 20, 2026

The Texans had enough to worry about in this one for their special teams to not be totally organized. Instead, you can add this to the list of problems Houston faced in this humbling defeat.

Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter Were a Bright Spot

Sep 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; at Reliant StadiumHouston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) celebrates with defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (98) after a sack during the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If there was one bright spot the Texans could hang their hat on despite the loss against the Bengals, they could be decently proud of the performance of their pass rush. Burrow was taken down for five sacks across the day for 25 yards, which was spearheaded by Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter.

Anderson and Hunter recorded their first solo sacks of the season, which is pretty refreshing after these two combined for just 0.5 sacks in their debut against the Bills. Sheldon Rankins and Logan Hall also got a piece of the action with a sack themselves, as well as half a sack going to Sebastian Harsh and Mario Edwards Jr.

But even as the defensive line held up their end of the bargain, not much else was able to break the Texans' way on Sunday. They'll have a week to recover and get back on track before they'll be heading to face the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3.

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