HOUSTON (AP) — Joe Burrow threw two touchdown passes to Ja’Marr Chase to lead the Cincinnati Bengals to a 20-6 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday.
The big day by Chase came a week after the five-time Pro Bowler had just two receptions for 12 yards in a win over Tampa Bay. That prompted Burrow, coach Zac Taylor and offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher to say that getting him the ball more had to be a priority against the Texans.
They showed they meant that early as Chase eclipsed last week’s performance with 14 yards receiving on Cincinnati’s first drive and didn’t slow down after that.
He put the Bengals (2-0) on top 7-0 when he managed to drag his toe inbounds on a spectacular 32-yard TD catch over Derek Stingley with about 3 1/2 minutes left in the first half.
The Bengals were up by 7 when Burrow found Chase again. This time, he grabbed an 18-yard pass in the end zone in front of a diving Reed Blankenship to make it 17-3 with about three minutes left in the third.
Chase had seven receptions for 75 yards and Burrow was 20 of 31 for 207 yards despite dealing with back tightness that caused him to miss practice time this week. Tee Higgins added five receptions for 95 yards.
It was another disappointing game for the Texans, who are 0-2 after losing to Buffalo 36-31 in the opener. They’ll need to get back on track next week to avoid starting 0-3 for a second year in a row.
C.J. Stroud was 30 of 55 for 353 yards passing on a day the Texans had trouble running the ball. Their backs finished with just 18 yards rushing. They failed to score a touchdown while playing without star receiver Nico Collins after scoring 31 points last week.
Kaʻimi Fairbairn’s 45-yard field goal got the Texans within 17-6 near the end of the third.
Evan McPherson’s 57-yard field goal pushed the lead to 20-6 early in the fourth.
The Texans were driving on the next possession when Stroud was flagged for intentional grounding to force a punt.
A 37-yard field goal by Fairbairn cut the lead to 7-3 with just over a minute until halftime.
McPherson’s 51-yard field goal made it 10-3 early in the third.
The Texans had some miscues in the first half that put them in bad spots. They fumbled the snap on a punt early in the second quarter and failed to convert on fourth-and-inches from the Cincinnati 18 when Dexter Lawrence stuffed David Montgomery on their next drive.
Up next
Bengals: Host the Steelers next Sunday.
Texans: Visit the Colts next Sunday.
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
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