Texans defense looks to bounce back against Joe Burrow, Bengals

HOUSTON (AP) Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson said giving up 36 points in a season-opening loss to the Bills wasn’t a reason to get mad but instead should be a catalyst to improve.

“That’s probably the best thing that could have happened to us,” he said. “We got hit in the mouth and now we know how to respond. Now it’s a wake-up call for everybody.”

The Texans look to bounce back from that uncharacteristically poor performance when they host the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. They’re coming off a 33-27 win over Tampa Bay in their opener.

And they know better than to underestimate Houston’s defense, which was among the league’s best last season, despite the lackluster performance on opening weekend.

“They are very fast, very physical,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “Not only are they very talented and well-coached but they play really good together as a unit… (we've) certainly got our work cut out for us. They have elite talent across the board on their defense and it poses a lot of challenges for you.”

Quarterback Joe Burrow was limited in practice Wednesday as he deals with back tightness and “normal game day soreness.” But the three-time Pro Bowler said there’s no way the problem would keep him out against the Texans.

“That’s ridiculous,” Burrow said.

After dealing with Josh Allen last week, the Texans know their defense will have its hands full again in trying to slow down Burrow and the Cincinnati offense. He threw for 254 yards with a touchdown and interception against the Buccaneers.

“The Bengals are a really exceptional offense,” Houston coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Everything starts and goes through the quarterback. Talk about a guy that has exceptional talent, Joe Burrow, he’s one of the best quarterbacks I’ve watched and studied.”

While Houston certainly respects Burrow and his talented offense, Anderson said the key to success this week will be for the Texans to focus on themselves.

“The biggest thing is just going out there and having fun,” he said. “Not overcomplicating football. Not getting too high. Not getting too low. But just playing our brand of ball and having fun doing that.”

Cincinnati (1-0) at Houston (0-1)

When/where to watch: Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS.

Latest odds: Texans by 2½.

Against the spread: Bengals 1-0; Texans 0-1.

Last week: Bengals beat Buccaneers 33-27; Texans lost to Bills 36-31.

Last meeting: Texans beat Bengals 30-27 on Nov. 12, 2023, in Cincinnati.

Series record: Texans lead 9-5.

Cincinnati WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins vs Houston’s secondary. The Texans allowed Allen to throw for 334 yards last week and they’ll be challenged again by Cincinnati’s star-studded offense.

The unit gave up multiple explosive plays against the Bills, including touchdown receptions of 43 and 34 yards.

Higgins had 59 yards receiving last week but Chase, who had 1,412 yards receiving last season, had just two catches for 12 yards. Burrow knows that has to change this week.

“We’ve got to get him involved,” Burrow said. “That sentiment was echoed from a lot of different fronts after the game and can’t come out of a game like that and have Ja’Marr Chase touch the ball two times. So that certainly will be an emphasis.”

- Burrow tied for the league lead in quick completions last week with 20 (throws in under 2.5 seconds). Anderson has 93 QB pressures since the start of last season - second most in the league - with 40 happening in under 2.5 seconds.

- Houston QB C.J. Stroud completed passes to 11 different receivers Sunday.

- Chase needs seven catches to pass former Texans star DeAndre Hopkins (528) for the fourth-most receptions by a player in his first six seasons in NFL history. He had five receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown in his most recent meeting with Houston.

- Houston WR Nico Collins had 75 yards receiving and a touchdown last week to give him at least 50 yards receiving in 10 consecutive regular-season games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL.

- The Bengals lead the NFL in takeaways after recovering four fumbles last week.

- RB David Montgomery had two rushing touchdowns and a scoring reception in the opener to become the first Texan to score three touchdowns in his debut after an offseason trade from Detroit. He had 65 yards rushing an a touchdown in his most recent game against the Bengals last season.

- Cincinnati LB Demetrius Knight Jr. had seven tackles and his first career fumble return for a touchdown on a 27-yard score in the first quarter in Week 1.

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AP Sports Writer Joe Reedy contributed to this report.

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