The Houston Texans held off the Cincinnati Bengals 41-34 on Sunday at NRG Stadium, surviving a shootout that stayed in doubt into the closing minutes of Week 2. Both offenses traded haymakers from the opening drive, and Houston needed every one of its 41 points to move on from a track meet it never fully controlled. For the Texans, it was the kind of win that validates an offseason built around scoring in bunches. C.J. Stroud was the story, carving up Cincinnati for 386 yards and four touchdown passes in a performance that never seemed to slow down. Tank Dell was his favorite target, piling up 161 receiving yards and consistently finding space behind the Bengals' secondary. David Montgomery provided just enough balance with a team-best 61 rushing yards, keeping Cincinnati honest between the hashes. When Houston needed a conversion, Stroud found it, and the Bengals simply had no answer for the tempo. Defensively, it was a struggle for both sides, but Cincinnati landed the game's biggest individual blow when DJ Turner II picked off a pass to swing momentum and keep the Bengals within striking distance. Kyle Dugger led all defenders with six total tackles as Cincinnati tried to slow the Houston attack. The turning point came when Henry To'oTo'o recorded the game's lone sack, stalling a Bengals possession at the worst possible time. Cincinnati got the takeaway it needed but couldn't get the stop, and that difference decided the afternoon.