HOUSTON − Eventually, the Cincinnati Bengals were able to plug the holes in their offensive line against the Houston Texans. But the line leaked Texans pass rushers and bruising hits on quarterback Joe Burrow before it was plugged.
After Burrow took just one sack and was determined by Pro Football Focus to be the least-pressured quarterback in Week 1, Burrow on Sept. 20 at Reliant Stadium was sacked five times and hit 10 times against Houston. In addition, the line was responsible for multiple pre-snap penalties.
An accumulation of those in the second quarter twice knocked the Bengals out of field-goal range on the same drive.
Cincinnati went on to win 20-6, and the second half seemed quieter for Burrow in terms of physical contact, but not before
Houston's edge rushers and others did their damage and kept the outcome hanging in the balance into halftime and beyond.
Offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. was beat several times for sacks, requiring blocking help from other players to settle his side of the line down.
"Obviously, it's a little bit frustrating for the mishaps and negatives of what happened, but at the end of the day, I still pride myself on being who I am, but I am disappointed with my overall play today," Brown said.
The Bengals improved to 2-0 for the second consecutive season, but the offensive line play factored heavily in Cincinnati scoring just seven points in the first half.
When the Bengals re-signed Dalton Risner this past offseason, it ensured Cincinnati would keep intact what many considered to be the strongest offensive line since Burrow was drafted. That line passed its first test of 2026 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but labored at times against a Houston defense ripe with pass rushers.
There was also some acknowledgement from head coach Zac Taylor and others the Texans were capable of teeing off on the offensive line in situations where the Bengals were likely to pass. And Houston had several players capable of winning in the trenches and getting to Burrow.
Six different Texans players accounted for at least a half-sack, so their ability to pressure the quarterback was a matter of depth as much as star power in the forms of players like Danielle Hunter (15 sacks in 2025) and Will Anderson Jr. (12 sacks in 2025).
Brown and center Ted Karras agreed the line played a cleaner game in the second half. Not surprisingly, the Bengals' offense sustained more scoring drives and stretched its lead. Both said they'd need film study to better understand the difference between the halves.
"Obviously, there's things to clean up," Karras said. "That's a really good (defensive) front. Probably wanted to score more points. ... I think there's an element of, that's a good group over there. We did enough to win. We got the run game going, which was nice. Joe, Ja'Marr (Chase) and Tee (Higgins) do what they do.
"It's a quality win. Stuff to learn from. Not a perfect day by any means. Shoutout to the defense shutting that offense down. I've said all year I think we've got a real chance and we've just got to keep grinding."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why Orlando Brown Jr. was disappointed with himself in Bengals win
