Bengals beat Houston Texans 20-6; Ja’Marr Chase scores twice
Ja’Marr Chase caught two touchdown passes from Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Houston Texans 20-6 on Sept. 20, 2026, in Houston, according to the AP recap on ESPN. Chase, a five-time Pro Bowler, found the end zone on plays of 32 and 18 yards to account for the Bengals’ touchdowns. The Bengals improved to 2-0 while the Texans fell to 0-2.
Cincinnati opened the scoring late in the second quarter when Chase hauled in a 32-yard scoring pass from Burrow on a seven-play, 81-yard drive that consumed 3:24. Houston answered with a 37-yard field goal by Ka’imi Fairbairn with 1:17 left in the half to make it 7-3. In the third quarter Evan McPherson connected on a 51-yard field goal before Chase’s 18-yard touchdown reception extended the lead, and Fairbairn added a 45-yarder as the quarter closed.
The fourth quarter featured another long McPherson field goal, a 57-yarder, which pushed Cincinnati’s advantage to the final margin. Houston’s points came exclusively from Fairbairn’s two field goals, as the Texans were held without an offensive touchdown. The scoring summary and play details are derived from the AP game report published by ESPN.
Burrow’s connections with Chase proved decisive as Cincinnati converted big plays into points while the Texans were limited to field-goal scoring opportunities. Special teams played a notable role, with McPherson supplying two long field goals and Fairbairn converting two attempts for Houston. The loss leaves the Texans searching for more consistent offensive production as they head deeper into the early season.
NFL Sports Blog Take
The Bengals relied on explosive passing plays to secure a road victory, with Ja’Marr Chase reasserting himself after a quiet opening game by scoring twice. Cincinnati’s kicker provided additional scoring from long range, underscoring the value of complementary phases in low-scoring contests. For the Texans, settling for two field goals highlighted red-zone and big-play deficiencies that must be addressed to avoid falling further behind in the AFC South race.