Cincinnati Bengals vs Houston Texans Prediction, 9/20/2026 NFL Picks, Best Bets & Odds Week 2

Game: Cincinnati Bengals vs Houston Texans

Date: Sunday, September 20, 2026

Location: Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX

TV: CBS

Odds-Point Spread: Bengals +3.0

Total-Over-Under: 46.5

The Houston Texans (0-1) will take on the Cincinnati Bengals (1-0) at Reliant Stadium on Sunday. Houston opens as 3-point favorites from oddsmakers. The over-under is 46.5.

The Cincinnati Bengals head into this game 1-0 over the course of this year. The last time they stepped on the gridiron, the Bengals played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and took home the win by a score of 33-27. Chase Brown was the best rusher for the Bengals with 16 attempts for 56 yards (3.5 yards per carry). Chase Brown had an average of 4.4 yards per catch by accumulating 22 yds on 5 receptions. Joe Burrow went 25-35 with 254 yds passing and 1 touchdown. He had a QB rating of 89.5 and finished the game with 1 pick. In the running game, the Bengals gave up 89 yards on 20 tries, which calculates to 4.5 yds per run allowed. Cincinnati relinquished 23 pass completions on 28 attempts for a total of 193 yards, and a completion percentage of 82.1%. On the day, they had 62 plays which gave them 351 yds. The Cincinnati Bengals ended up running the ball 27 different times and had 106 yds, which is an average of 3.9 yds per carry.

The Bengals have accumulated 351 yds so far this season. Cincinnati has collected 14 first downs as an offense, and they have been hurt by 7 penalties for 47 yards. If you look at scoring touchdowns, Cincinnati has collected 1 passing touchdown and 1 rushing touchdown. They have given the ball to the opposition 1 time. As a unit, they average 106.0 rushing yards ranking this team at 19th in the NFL. Concerning putting points on the board, the AFC North representatives are sitting at 33.0 points per game.

If you look at passing yds, the Bengals have allowed 193 total yards, which ranks them at 17th in the league. They have relinquished 193.0 yards per outing by way of the pass, and are giving up a completion% of 82.1%. Altogether, they have surrendered 89 yards on the ground through 1 game on the campaign. They have allowed 2 touchdowns via the ground game. Altogether, they are surrendering 282.0 total yards per outing, ranking this team at 12th in the NFL. They are giving up an average of 4.5 yards per rush on the ground and 89.0 rush yards per game so far this season. The Bengals currently sit 20th in pro football if you look at their defensive abilities, relinquishing 27.0 points per outing.

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The Texans come into this game with a record of 0-1 over the course of the season. When they last took the field, the Texans went home defeated by a final of 36-31 against the Buffalo Bills. C.J. Stroud (2 TDs) finished the contest with 274 yards on 26-38 passing while his quarterback rate was 106.7. He didn't throw any picks and his avg yards per attempt was 7.2 yards. Nico Collins was featured in the passing game for the Texans, grabbing 7 balls for 75 yards (10.7 yards per catch). David Montgomery ran the football 20 times for 60 yards, finishing the contest with 3.0 yds per attempt for Houston. The Texans finished the game with 381 yards and they ran 70 plays (5.4 yards per play). Houston rushed the ball for 3.9 yards per carry, finishing the game with 124 yards on 32 carries. Houston conceded 21 attempts on the ground for 86 yards (4.1 yds per rush). The Texans passing defense conceded a completion rate of 69.0%, surrendering 323 yards on 20 out of 29 passing.

If you're looking at the points being put on the board, the Texans rank 9th in professional football, averaging 31.0 points per contest. This season, the Texans have racked up 257 pass yds. They average 124.0 rushing yards per outing. The Houston Texans have an average of 381.0 yards per outing, which has them ranked 10th in professional football. The Houston offense has surrendered 106 total yards by way of 7 infractions, which is good for 17th in the league if you analyze helping out the opposition. They have 2 fumbles lost, and have tallied 11 1st downs as a unit.

They have yielded 2 touchdowns via the pass and 323.0 pass yards per game, ranking this team at 29th in the league. Houston has surrendered a total of 86 rush yards. The D has no takeaways for this campaign. Overall, they have conceded 36 total points. The Texans defense has participated in 52 plays from the line of scrimmage, putting them 9th in professional football. The Texans are allowing 36.0 points per contest, putting them 28th in pro football.

Who will win tonight's Bengals-Texans NFL game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Bengals +3.0

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