Cincinnati
Bengals
1-0
36
FINAL
17
Houston
Texans
0-1
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe Cincinnati Bengals secured a convincing 36-17 victory over the Houston Texans in their Week 2 matchup of the 2026 season, showcasing their offensive prowess and solidifying their footing early in the campaign. With both teams looking to gain momentum, the Bengals' explosive performance proved to be the difference maker in this contest.
Joe Milton was the star of the show for Cincinnati, throwing for an impressive 392 yards and three touchdowns, effectively leading the Bengals' air attack. Tee Higgins emerged as his favorite target, racking up 216 receiving yards and consistently finding ways to exploit the Texans' secondary. This dynamic duo was instrumental in pushing the Bengals ahead and maintaining their lead throughout the game.
Defensively, the Texans struggled to contain Cincinnati's offense, but standout performances were limited. The turning point came late in the first half when Milton connected with Higgins for a touchdown that extended the Bengals' lead to two scores, ultimately shifting the momentum firmly in their favor. Despite the Texans' efforts, including a solid defensive presence from their players, it was the Bengals' offense that dictated the pace and outcome of the game.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Milton | QB | 41 | 29 | 71% | 392 | 3 | 0 | 125.2 |
| C.J. Stroud | QB | 28 | 16 | 57% | 204 | 2 | 0 | 103.8 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Montgomery | HB | 9 | 45 | 5.0 | 25 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Chase Brown | HB | 14 | 40 | 2.9 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Samaje Perine | HB | 13 | 30 | 2.3 | 11 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Woody Marks | HB | 4 | 22 | 5.5 | 16 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Erick All Jr | TE | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | — | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Joe Milton | QB | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| British Brooks | FB | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| C.J. Stroud | QB | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Kayshon Boutte | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tee Higgins | WR | 11 | 216 | 19.6 | 106 | 2 | 70 | 0 |
| Kayshon Boutte | WR | 10 | 148 | 14.8 | 74 | 1 | 70 | 0 |
| Ja'Marr Chase | WR | 5 | 66 | 13.2 | 5 | 1 | 24 | 0 |
| Nico Collins | WR | 3 | 36 | 12.0 | 5 | 1 | 17 | 0 |
| Johnny Wilson | WR | 1 | 30 | 30.0 | 7 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| Devin Culp | TE | 2 | 22 | 11.0 | 9 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Samaje Perine | HB | 5 | 21 | 4.2 | 21 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Jayden Higgins | WR | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Sincere Brown | WR | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Chase Brown | HB | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 11 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Mike Gesicki | TE | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Dalton Schultz | TE | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| David Montgomery | HB | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Erick All Jr | TE | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kamari Lassiter | CB | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Azeez Al-Shaair | MIKE | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reed Blankenship | SS | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Henry To'oTo'o | WILL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Myles Murphy | LEDG | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyle Dugger | SS | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Boye Mafe | REDG | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryan Cook | FS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Danielle Hunter | REDG | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Calen Bullock | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| E.J. Speed | SAM | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tommy Togiai | DT | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derek Stingley Jr | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Anderson Jr | LEDG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ja'Marcus Ingram | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonathan Allen | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DJ Turner II | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Logan Hall | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Pitre | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dax Hill | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Channing Tindall | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jadeveon Clowney | LEDG | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaylin Smith | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kayden McDonald | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sheldon Rankins | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shemar Stewart | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Dexter Lawrence II | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jordan Battle | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zah Frazier | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dominique Hampton | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ka'imi Fairbairn | K | 1 | 1 | 2 | 47 |
| Evan McPherson | K | 3 | 3 | 3 | 50 |

