Cincinnati
Bengals
1-0
41
FINAL
35
Houston
Texans
1-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 2 matchup of the 2026 season, the Cincinnati Bengals narrowly defeated the Houston Texans with a final score of 41-35. Both teams came into the game looking to secure an early-season win, but it was the Bengals who ultimately triumphed in a high-scoring affair.
Cincinnati's offensive standout was Chase Brown, who rushed for an impressive 147 yards, consistently breaking through the Texans' defensive line. On the other side, Houston's C.J. Stroud showcased his prowess with a remarkable performance, throwing for 399 yards and four touchdowns, including a pair that connected with receiver Tank Dell, who racked up an astounding 225 receiving yards.
Defensively, the game featured some key moments that shifted momentum. While Kyle Dugger led the Bengals with five total tackles, it was Dax Hill's two interceptions that proved pivotal, halting Houston's drives when they were gaining momentum. The turning point came late in the fourth quarter when Hill's second pick thwarted a potential game-tying drive, allowing Cincinnati to run down the clock and secure their victory.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.J. Stroud | QB | 42 | 21 | 50% | 399 | 4 | 5 | 75.4 |
| Joe Burrow | QB | 34 | 17 | 50% | 250 | 1 | 5 | 44.6 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Brown | HB | 18 | 147 | 8.2 | 21 | 4 | 47 | 0 |
| Woody Marks | HB | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Joe Burrow | QB | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Zay Flowers | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C.J. Stroud | QB | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| Tank Dell | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marvin Harrison Jr | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tee Higgins | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tank Dell | WR | 9 | 225 | 25.0 | 135 | 2 | 75 | 0 |
| Ja'Marr Chase | WR | 7 | 82 | 11.7 | 28 | 1 | 32 | 0 |
| Tee Higgins | WR | 3 | 81 | 27.0 | 52 | 0 | 54 | 0 |
| Marvin Harrison Jr | WR | 3 | 63 | 21.0 | 9 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| Dalton Schultz | TE | 4 | 59 | 14.8 | 14 | 1 | 20 | 0 |
| Kayshon Boutte | WR | 4 | 49 | 12.3 | 18 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| Chase Brown | HB | 2 | 39 | 19.5 | 18 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| Mike Gesicki | TE | 3 | 38 | 12.7 | 10 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Erick All Jr | TE | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Brevin Jordan | TE | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | — | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dax Hill | CB | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Jordan Battle | SS | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Reed Blankenship | SS | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyle Dugger | SS | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Danielle Hunter | REDG | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Anderson Jr | LEDG | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Calen Bullock | FS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Kamari Ramsey | FS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Newton | CB | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Jalen Pitre | CB | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Boye Mafe | REDG | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonathan Allen | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tacario Davis | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derek Stingley Jr | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DJ Turner II | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kamari Lassiter | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sheldon Rankins | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Henry To'oTo'o | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryan Cook | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lonnie Johnson Jr | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| E.J. Speed | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Myles Murphy | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ka'imi Fairbairn | K | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Evan McPherson | K | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |

