Taking a look at what the Texans must do to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2.
The Houston Texans are coming off a brutal loss as they lost a tight Week 1 game at home to the Buffalo Bills by a final score of 36-31.
In this game, the Texans showed some great things, but also some things that need to be adjusted which is the case for every team in Week 1. So heading into Week 2, it is up to Houston to make those adjustments and figure out how to bounce back.
With that said, let's take a look at three things the Texans must do in order to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2.
1. Limit Turnovers
The first thing the Texans must do is protect the ball and limit the extra possessions they allow the Bengals to have.
In Week 1, the Texans lost two fumbles which were both by quarterback CJ Stroud, with one of them coming on the final possession, and that ultimately came back to cost them. force any turnovers on defense, so that gave the Buffalo Bills two extra possessions.
Heading into Week 2, the Texans will be taking on Joe Burrow and giving him extra opportunities to score, even against Houston's stout defense, which is not something the Texans can afford to do again, as Josh Allen and the Bills made them pay, and very likely Burrow and the Bengals would capitalize as well.
2. Generate More Pressure
Secondly, the Texans must find a way to generate more pressure, especially around the edge from defensive ends Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter.
Last week, the Texans' defense sacked Allen twice, but only hit him a total of four times, which was not enough, and at times, the lack of pressure allowed Allen to extend plays with his legs, which resulted in explosive runs as well as explosive passes.
Against the Bengals, this defensive line needs to find a way to generate more pressure so that Burrow cannot set his feet and get the ball to his great wide receiver duo of JaMar Chase and Tee Higgins. If Houston dominates up front, they should be in a much better position to get back to playing shutdown defense, especially in obvious passing situations.
3. Run the Ball Effectively
The final thing the Texans need to do this upcoming Sunday is run the ball effectively, especially in short-yardage situations.
During Week 1, running back David Montgomery was the lead back as he ran the ball 20 times for 60 yards, averaged three yards per carry, and added two touchdowns. Overall, Montgomery was solid and someone that Houston could rely on when it came to the ground game.
As the Texans prepare to play the Bengals, Houston must continue to establish the running game, and in short-yardage situations, it will be even more important to extend drives, wind the clock, and keep the offense on the field so the Texans' defense can rest and Burrow gets fewer opportunities to put up points.
The Overall Gameplan
In each of the elements previously listed, it is pretty clear that it comes back to Burrow and being able to limit his impact on the game, whether that be limiting the extra possessions he gets, putting more pressure on him, or just controlling time of possession throughout the game.
So, if the Texans do want to come out on top in Week 2, being able to stop Burrow and this Bengals offense is going to be essential, and there is no doubt that Houston's offense, defense, and special teams could all have a key role in limiting Burrow, which could get the Texans back in the win column and knot their record at 1-1.
