By admin 
The Cincinnati Bengals opened the season by beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33-27 after forcing four turnovers, then followed that with a 20-6 road win over the Houston Texans. Against the Texans, Cincinnati allowed only 60 rushing yards, held Houston to 5-of-17 on third down and did not allow a touchdown.
Read more UFC Fight Night: What Time Does Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Raoni Barcelos Start?
Analyst Greg Cosell believes the defensive structure deserves more attention. On the Ross Tucker Football Podcast, Cosell called Cincinnati’s defense “phenomenal” through two games.
“I’m sure you’ve studied for the game, you know, already. I don’t know when you talked to the coaches, but the Bengals defense has been phenomenal through two games,” Cosell said.
“It’s basically a front four base defense. They play seven in coverage and they rush with their four. They stun a lot, but they’ve been really good. Obviously, getting Dexter Lawrence, a big deal.”
Cosell also mentioned Jonathan Allen, along with Cincinnati’s use of tackle-tackle stunts inside. The Bengals are also creating favorable one-on-one opportunities for their edge rushers. Against Houston, Cincinnati generated 27 pressures on 62 dropbacks, a 43.5% pressure rate. Five defenders recorded at least four pressures.
“They line up in pressure to look so they can get one-on-one with their edge rushers, who are doing very well through two games,” Cosell added lastly.
Read more Why There’s No Easy Solution to Prevent QB Injuries, Given League Data Trends
Joe Burrow Still Gives Cincinnati Plenty of Firepower
Burrow completed 20 of 31 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns against Houston, with both scores going to Ja’Marr Chase. Chase finished with seven catches for 75 yards, while Tee Higgins led the team with 95 receiving yards on five catches.
The Bengals’ ability to win 20-6 without a huge passing performance is an important change from previous seasons. The offense still has explosive weapons when Cincinnati needs them. Chase’s 32-yard touchdown against Houston was another example. He fought through coverage from Derek Stingley Jr. and made an acrobatic catch near the pylon. Chase now has 25 career touchdown catches of at least 30 yards, which is 10 more than any other player since entering the NFL in 2021.
Andrei Iosivas suffered a thumb ligament injury against Houston and will miss at least four weeks after surgery. Cincinnati will need players such as rookie Colbie Young, Dohnte Meyers and Ke’Shawn Williams to absorb some of that workload. Young recorded his first career reception against Houston.
Cincinnati travels to face the Steelers on September 27, with a chance to move to 3-0. Burrow has the experience and weapons to keep the offense dangerous, but the revamped defense will again be central to Cincinnati’s chances. Through two weeks, the Bengals have already shown they can win without asking Burrow to outscore everyone.
Read more Red Sox, Cubs meet in doubleheader, attempting to get ahead of storm
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published September 25, 2026 at 2:37 AM.