Wk 2 · 2026
Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans — Sun, Sep 20
Sun, Sep 20 ·
Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX
· CBS FINAL
Weather
This one is played indoors. There is nothing to forecast.
at
1:00pET
HOU -3 · total 45.5 DraftKings opened -2.5 · 0.5 toward HOU
Ratings differential HOU by 2.0
What is at stake
An AFC game between two divisions. It decides neither division, but conference record is the tiebreaker that follows head-to-head, and both of these are chasing the same 7 AFC playoff places. Division standings.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The Gridiron King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
1.7 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two rosters that have
been through a draft and a free-agency window since.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense
Defense
Points / game
Points allowed / game
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The Gridiron King’s 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats
The box-score store these rows are built from has not been produced for this league yet, so no preview carries points and yards for and against. The form, trend and series blocks below are built from this site’s own files and are not affected.
Bengals form
W 31-24at MIAL 17-22vs JAXL 27-30at PITW 20-6at HOUW 33-27vs TB
2026 season
Texans form
W 26-3at TENL 30-34vs DALL 17-19at INDL 6-20vs CINL 31-36vs BUF
2026 season
Bengals this season
Straight up3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Against the spread2-2-1 · 50% (5 games)
Over / under3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Texans this season
Straight up1-4 · 20% (5 games)
Against the spread1-4 · 20% (5 games)
Over / under2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 7
| Opponent | Bengals | Texans |
|---|---|---|
| Steelers AFC | at L 27-30 preview | at Wk 13 · scheduled preview |
| Jaguars AFC | vs L 17-22 preview | N Wk 6 · scheduled preview |
| Ravens AFC | at Wk 7 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 12 · scheduled preview |
| Titans AFC | vs Wk 8 · scheduled preview | at W 26-3 preview |
| Commanders NFC | at Wk 11 · scheduled preview | at Wk 14 · scheduled preview |
| Browns AFC | at Wk 13 · scheduled preview | at Wk 10 · scheduled preview |
| Colts AFC | at Wk 16 · scheduled preview | at L 17-19 preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, Texans leads 9–3 · Bengals won the last one
12 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
4.3 points toward Texans
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-09-20 | Bengals 20 — 6 Texans | at HOU | Bengals |
| 2023 | 2023-11-12 | Texans 30 — 27 Bengals | at CIN | Texans |
| 2020 | 2020-12-27 | Bengals 37 — 31 Texans | at HOU | Bengals |
| 2017 | 2017-09-14 | Texans 13 — 9 Bengals | at CIN | Texans |
| 2016 | 2016-12-24 | Bengals 10 — 12 Texans | at HOU | Texans |
| 2015 | 2015-11-16 | Texans 10 — 6 Bengals | at CIN | Texans |
| 2014 | 2014-11-23 | Bengals 22 — 13 Texans | at HOU | Bengals |
| 2012 | 2013-01-05 | Bengals 13 — 19 Texans | at HOU | Texans playoffs |
| 2011 | 2012-01-07 | Bengals 10 — 31 Texans | at HOU | Texans playoffs |
| 2011 | 2011-12-11 | Texans 20 — 19 Bengals | at CIN | Texans |
| 2009 | 2009-10-18 | Texans 28 — 17 Bengals | at CIN | Texans |
| 2008 | 2008-10-26 | Bengals 6 — 35 Texans | at HOU | Texans |
Bengals leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Joe Burrow QB #9 | 112/157, 1171 YDS, 7 TD, 3 INT |
| Rushing | Chase Brown RB #30 | 58 CAR, 207 YDS, 1 TD |
| Samaje Perine RB #34 | 13 CAR, 42 YDS | |
| Joe Burrow QB #9 | 11 CAR, 38 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Tee Higgins WR #5 | 25 REC, 401 YDS, 1 TD |
| Ja'Marr Chase WR #1 | 21 REC, 212 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Mike Gesicki TE #88 | 11 REC, 155 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Dohnte Meyers WR #81 | 11 REC, 129 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Demetrius Knight Jr. LB #44 | 34 |
| Barrett Carter LB #49 | 30 | |
| Jordan Battle S #27 | 27 | |
| Sacks | Dexter Lawrence II DT #97 | 3 |
| Jonathan Allen DT #93 | 2 | |
| Boye Mafe DE #53 | 2 | |
| Interceptions | Jordan Battle S #27 | 1 |
Texans leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | C.J. Stroud QB #7 | 93/151, 1141 YDS, 5 TD |
| Kai Kroeger P #38 | 0/1, 0 YDS | |
| Rushing | David Montgomery RB #32 | 47 CAR, 127 YDS, 2 TD |
| Woody Marks RB #4 | 28 CAR, 87 YDS, 2 TD | |
| C.J. Stroud QB #7 | 9 CAR, 66 YDS | |
| Receiving | Dalton Schultz TE #86 | 21 REC, 214 YDS |
| Nico Collins WR #12 | 14 REC, 193 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Jaylin Noel WR #13 | 8 REC, 186 YDS | |
| Xavier Hutchinson WR #19 | 12 REC, 166 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Reed Blankenship S #6 | 34 |
| Azeez Al-Shaair LB #0 | 31 | |
| Jake Hansen LB #35 | 28 | |
| Sacks | Will Anderson Jr. DE #51 | 4.5 |
| Sheldon Rankins DT #98 | 2 | |
| Danielle Hunter DE #55 | 2 | |
| Interceptions | Reed Blankenship S #6 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since signed elsewhere, been traded or retired still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game.