W2L4: How Bengals Hit A High-Five In Matchup With C.J. Stroud, Texans

Texans (4-4) at Bengals (5-3) Sunday, Nov. 12 at Paycor Stadium (Field Turf), 1 p.m. ET, TV, WKRC-TV Ch. 12 (Cincinnati) Kevin Harlan, Trent Green, Melanie Collins, Radio: Dan Hoard, Dave Lapham. 700 WLW-AM, WEBN-FM (102.7 FM), ESPN1530.

CINCINNATI — The football world will be watching this week to see what rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud can do for an encore as his Houston Texans (4-4) visit the surging Bengals (5-3).

The Bengals enter the game without two of their key pieces, one on either side of the ball. Tee Higgins is out with a hamstring strain while defensive edge Sam Hubbard is out with an ankle issue.

The Bengals have built their roster to contend with injuries to star players so they won’t hesitate putting rookies like Myles Murphy and Andrei Iosivas into key spots Sunday.

Charlie Jones will miss his sixth straight game after being ruled out late Saturday afternoon. Jones broke his right thumb during the Sept. 25 win over the Rams at Paycor. Jones had his 21-day window opened on Wednesday when he was cleared to practice.

With Jones and Tee Higgins out, the Bengals needed to bring up receivers. Shedrick Jackson, a 24-year-old free agent out of Auburn in 2022, will see his first NFL game check on Sunday as he was elevated Saturday along with veteran Stanley Morgan. Both are standard elevations and will return to the practice squad on Monday.

We’ve already seen that Trenton Irwin is more than capable of filling in at wide receiver, when he contributed last year in New England and against the Browns when Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd went down in warmups and early in the game, respectively.

Last week, the rookie quarterback out of Ohio State led the Texans past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 39-37, when he authored a game-winning, six-play 75-yard drive in 40 seconds, capped by a 15-yard touchdown pass to rookie receiver Tank Dell.

Stroud completed 30-of-42 passes for 470 yards, five touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 147.8. In the process, he set the new NFL record for single-game rookie passing yards, surpassing the previous record set by Marc Bulger (453) in 2002.

“I think it’s something that can get us rolling,” Stroud said. “Momentum is everything in this league and in the game of football. We’ve got to ride this momentum and work really hard in practice this week.”

He is the sixth player in NFL history to record at least 450 passing yards and five touchdown passes with no interceptions in a game. In eight games, Stroud has 14 touchdown passes and just one interception.

“That was the one thing that stood out with C.J.,” Houston head coach Demeco Ryans said. “You see the passes that Tank caught, but just being able to slow the film down and pause it and see the precision of where those throws were – it’s just unreal to see how precise he was.”

Running back Dare Ogunbowale also made history, kicking a 29-yard go-ahead field goal, becoming the second non-kicker to convert a field goal since Wes Welker in 2004.

While the Texans have won four of six since starting 0-2, the Bengals are looking for their fifth straight win after earning a 24-18 Week 9 home victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night.

The win against the Bills came in front of a crowd of 66,965 — the second largest in team history — and gave Cincinnati its 13th home victory in its last 15 at Paycor Stadium to match the team’s most successful run in home games since 2012-14.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has been playing some of his best football over the course of the four-game win streak. Burrow has completed over 70 percent of his passes in three of the past four games.

“Everything is trending in the right way,” Burrow said. “I’m accurate with the football right now. I’m making the right decisions. I’m happy with how I’m playing. I’ve got to continue to get better.”

The Bengals are banged up this week, with Ja’Marr Chase sustaining a bruised back when he fell trying to catch a deep ball from Joe Burrow in the third quarter. He did not practice Wednesday and is considered day-to-day.

Tee Higgins, with eight catches and 110 yards against the Bills, strained his hamstring in practice Wednesday while starting defensive edge Sam Hubbard tweaked an ankle last week and did not practice as the team began preparations for Houston.

Defensively, Cincinnati forced multiple turnovers for a fourth straight game and held its third consecutive opponent under 20 points.

The Bengals have 15 takeaways this season, tied for fourth most in the NFL, and are tied with the Los Angeles Chargers for tops in the NFL in turnover ratio at plus-9.

“We preach it nonstop,” said Taylor. “Our defensive staff does a great job with the turnover circuit. Our guys, they’ve all been here so long, and they know that’s how you win these games — these close games, particularly. They all do a great job.”

The Texans come into this game with eight players ruled out, including five starters and kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn.

Here’s what to look for:

• Joe Burrow vs. Texans secondary:

Even with Higgins out and perhaps Ja’Marr Chase limited due to his sore back, Burrow should still find ways to attack a Houston defense that last week surrendered 37 points to Tampa Bay. Safety Jimmie Ward is out, as is fifth-round pick Henry To’oTo’o at linebacker. This could be another big day for Burrow to target tight ends and running backs in the offense.

• Lou Anarumo vs. C.J. Stroud:

What will the Bengals defensive coordinator have in store for the rookie quarterback, who has 14 touchdown passes against just one interception, numbers nearly unheard of for a first-year NFL signal caller. No doubt, the looks Stroud gets in the first half won’t be the same as the second half, unless Anarumo shows something early that Stroud has a very difficult time figuring out. There will be nuance to what Anarumo shows and it will be up to the rookie out of Ohio State to figure it out. Stroud is coming off a historic game (470 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INT) and rookies tend to game ups and downs rather dramatically. Bengals fans and Anarumo hope that this is one of those down cycles.

• Jonah Williams vs. Will Anderson Jr.:

A matchup of a pair of former first-round picks out of Alabama, separated by four years. The Bengals right tackle is playing his best football in stripes after a move to right tackle and Will Anderson is making the adjustment to the NFL with two sacks and nine quarterback hits in eight games. He’s been very good setting the edge in the run game, with 27 tackles.

• Sam Hubbard replacements vs. Texans OL.:

Will be interesting to see how Cam Sample, Joseph Ossai and rookie Myles Murphy handle the veteran Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil. This Texans offensive line is one reason Stroud has been able to thrive in his rookie season. Sample gets his time to shine, along with Ossai, who could use a big game to raise his stock in his coaches’ eyes. Murphy has been gaining a lot of steam in his progress over the course of the four-game win streak. All three could have significant roles Sunday.

• Trenton Irwin, Andrei Iosivas vs. Texans secondary:

How will Brian Callahan and Zac Taylor choose to implement Iosivas and Irwin in the passing game to account for the loss of Tee Higgins? Look for lots of Irwin early if the Texans double or “cloud” Chase.

• Bengals D vs. Tank Dell:

The diminutive rookie out of Houston has stayed home to play for the Texans after being drafted in the third round. He caught the game-winning pass with 10 seconds left last Sunday from Stroud. He’s lightning fast, much in the same light as Tyreek Hill. Anarumo has usually had his safeties make sure they give help whenever possible when a speedster breaks free in the secondary (remember Vonn Bell vs. Tyreek Hill in 2021?). Dell is 5-foot-10 and a very generous listing of 185 pounds. He has 28 catches for a 16.4 yards per catch average and four touchdowns. He’s their most explosive receiver.

• Bottom Line:

The Bengals should be able to force some mistakes and turnovers from one of the youngest teams in the NFL, coming off the emotional high of last week’s win in Houston. C.J. Stroud is a star in the making but the Bengals need to be patient and force the turnover when the chance is there. The Texans are mentally tough under new coach DeMeco Ryans. This game could be close early. The Bengals can’t and won’t look past the Texans to their monumentally big Thursday night road game against Baltimore. Protect Burrow and the big plays, even without Higgins, should still be there for the taking. Should be a business-like win.

Bengals 30, Texans 20