The Cincinnati Bengals faced an obvious trap game against the Houston Texans in Week 10 and lost, 30-27.
With a showdown against the Baltimore Ravens looming next Thursday, the Bengals hosted the Texans and looked sluggish in all phases after a strong opening drive.
That let an upstart Texans team led by C.J. Stroud take a halftime lead at Paycor Stadium as Joe Burrow and the Bengals looked for answers.
But answer they did, nearly pulling off the comeback win in front of a nearly half-empty stadium.
Here’s a look at some quick thoughts, stats and takeaways to know before the Bengals turn around on a short week and have to deal with a critical AFC North matchup.
Quick Hits
— Bengals went heavy to tight ends early with Tanner Hudson recording a career-high five catches in the first four minutes of the game.
— With Tee Higgins out, it was Trenton Irwin scoring the touchdown — the fifth consecutive opening-drive touchdown for the offense. An absolutely stunning throw from Burrow while Ja’Marr Chase served as a decoy in the slot.
— Disaster after that: The Bengals gained less than 40 yards of total offense for the remainder of the first half. It seemed the Texans made an adjustment that had Burrow constantly checking down.
— Meanwhile, the defense never looked right well into the third quarter with a rookie C.J. Stroud able to complete multiple third-and-long attempts. Angles, timing and staying with receivers when the quarterback scrambled were all major issues, especially for the secondary.
— The Bengals defense usually comes out of halftime adjusted and better. That wasn’t the case on the opening drive of the second half, where the Texans easily marched down the field after consistent big plays. Only a penalty saved the unit from giving up a touchdown.
— Down 20-10, Burrow willed a big play, escaping the pocket and on the run, hit Ja’Marr Chase for a 64-yard touchdown.
— Bengals defense immediately gave up a huge play that quickly led to a touchdown. It was Chidobe Awuzie getting lost on a deep ball before the unit didn’t cover a Stroud rushing touchdown.
— Joe Burrow’s pick was a slight overthrow to Drew Sample in the seam. That’s the product of needing to be aggressive while relying on non-standard targets while guys like Tee Higgins are out.
— Burrow’s second pick on the next offensive drive was a big misfire into double-plus coverage.
— C.J. Stroud threw a stunning pick while trying to drain the clock, with Cam Taylor-Britt nearly taking it back for a score before Joe Mixon indeed got in the endzone to make it 27-24.
— Bengals, with just the two-minute warning and one timeout, got a key stop to give Burrow and Co. one chance to win it. And they would have — but Tyler Boyd dropped a game-winning touchdown pass, resulting in the offense settling for a field goal to tie it.
Key Stat
544: Total yards for the Texans. Entering the fourth quarter, the Bengals had allowed seven plays of 20-plus yards, with wideout Noah Brown sitting on six catches for 150 yards by that point. Cincinnati’s offense struggling wasn’t doing the defense any favors, but Lou Anarumo’s unit couldn’t stop anything.
Game Balls
TE Tanner Hudson: Big day for the former practice squad player asked to produce in big spots, as he set a career-high in receptions on the first drive of the game.
WR Trenton Irwin: How about Irwin stepping up big again with Tee Higgins out? He had his usual duties on special teams, plus the early touchdown.
WR Ja’Marr Chase: After a morning workout proved he could go, he was a key part of the offense when targeted, and not just on the 64-yard score.
Top Takeaway
Concern: These Bengals aren’t usually a team that falls into silly things like a trap game. Yet there it was on Sunday, the early scripted drive doing great and then everything falling apart. Now the entire season is at major risk, as they take a 5-4 record into Thursday night against the Ravens with so much at stake.
