The Cincinnati Bengals went to great lengths this offseason to reconfigure one of the NFL's leakiest defenses. The Houston Texans, meanwhile, made only minor tweaks to what was arguably the league's most dominant unit.
On Sunday, it was the former that held firm in crunch time.
Though the Texans outgained the Bengals 374-267 and had 10 more first downs, Cincinnati's defense didn't budge in a 20-6 win. C.J. Stroud tried to fling Houston back into the game with a career-high 55 passing attempts, but an offense that moved the ball in stretches was stumped in several key spots.
Here are the biggest winners and losers from Sunday's game:
Winners
Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins
Those unaccustomed to Chase's habit of sleepy starts in Week 1 might have been alarmed by his two-catch, 12-yard debut
last week. On Sunday, however, the two-time All-Pro receiver served up a reminder that he can't be held in check for long.
In a fairly methodical affair, Chase was the differentiating factor, logging seven catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns. His first scoring grab was a singular display of body control, with Chase recovering from a stumble to regain his composure and contort himself into position to secure the heave to the end zone. The extent of his connection with Burrow was put on display again in the third quarter, when he hauled in a scoring strike on a scramble drill.
Higgins' performance wasn't as loud as that of his teammate, but it was just as consequential. He finished with a game-high 95 yards and five catches as he continually broke free of coverage or found soft spots in zone to power the Bengals' downfield passing attack.
Together, the two accounted for all but 37 of the team's receiving yards for the afternoon. A week after Cincinnati funneled its passing attack through its tight ends and backs, Sunday was another display of the potency on which the Bengals built this offense.
Will Anderson Jr.
After the Texans' pass rush was largely held in check by the Buffalo Bills in the season-opening shootout, Sunday seemed like a return to normalcy. Anderson was a complete terror off the edge, with his sack, three tackles for loss and two quarterback hits not capturing the full extent of his dominance, including his work against the run. Still, though the Texans' pass rush seemed fully revived, the Bengals managed to buy second opportunities when the group didn't get home.
Dexter Lawrence
As usual, his stat line won't reflect it, but Lawrence was a full-on force in his second game for the Bengals. He routinely overwhelmed a shaky Texans interior line, repeatedly shutting down inside runs and creating heavy disruption. Lawrence also came up big early in the second quarter, when he split two blockers on fourth-and-1 to stuff David Montgomery and leave Houston emptyhanded after a 12-play, 76-yard drive.
Dalton Schultz
With WR Nico Collins out, C.J. Stroud again spread the ball around, connecting with eight different pass catchers on the day. Schultz, however, offered more of a lift than anyone else, finishing with a career-high 140 yards on 12 catches. In a Houston attack severely short on weapons after second-year receiver Jaydon Higgins tore his anterior cruciate ligament in August, the ninth-year tight end looks like an integral part of the offense.
Losers
Texans' run game
Outside of a 13-yard jet sweep by Jaylin Noel, Houston couldn't get anything going on the ground early in the game. Texans running backs David Montgomery and Woody Marks combined for just 13 yards on 10 carries before halftime. The duo became a non-factor as the Bengals widened their lead while the rushing attack languished. Given the structure and limitations of this offense as constructed, Houston can't become this one-dimensional and expect to compete with AFC contenders.
Orlando Brown Jr.
There aren't many offensive tackles who could hold up against Will Andeson Jr. and Danielle Hunter for an entire game. Brown, however, had a particularly ugly outing in pass protection on Sunday. In the first quarter, he was beaten by Anderson to the outside, leaving Burrow in the edge rusher's grasp as Logan Hall notched the clean-up sack. In the second quarter, Danielle Hunter dipped around the ninth-year left tackle to rock a blindsided Burrow for another sack. Just before halftime, Anderson walked the 6-8, 350-pound blocker backward en route to another takedown of the quarterback. Brown was understandably jumpy throughout the showdown, earning two false start penalties.
Things seemed to settle down for him a bit in the second half, and there aren't many matchups that can compare to this one. Still, the showing was one that surely left a bit of unease for Cincinnati's mission to safeguard Burrow, who was sacked five times.
Texans' third-down and red-zone offense
Despite the lack of support surrounding him, Stroud managed to keep the Texans in the game with efficient play through three quarters. But a shorthanded group that seemed intent on stringing together long drives came unraveled when it counted most.
Houston not only converted just 5 of 17 third downs but came up empty on all four of its fourth-down tries. Any success in the middle of the field also proved unsustainable, with the offense stalling on its four red-zone trips. Without a finishing touch in confined quarters or on money downs, the Texans could be in a good deal of trouble – though Collins' return should considerably change the group's outlook.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Winners and losers of Bengals' stifling NFL Week 2 victory over Texans
