Nov 16, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) throws a pass in the first half against the Houston Texans at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
The Bengals are no longer undefeated. With a 10-6 loss to the Houston Texans, the Cincinnati Bengals are no longer tied with the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots as the NFL’s best team in terms of record.
No one seemed to be able to move the ball to start this game, as the teams punted two times apiece and then swapped field goals early on in the game.
Dre Kirkpatrick and Darqueze Dennard did very well containing DeAndre Hopkins early; Kirkpatrick drew an offensive pass interference by Hopkins on the Texans’ first drive and broke up another pass. Dennard broke up a pass intended for Hopkins on third-and-goal, forcing Houston to settle for a field goal.
Mike Nugent added a second field goal to help the Bengals take a 6-3 lead after yet another nice Bengals drive that ended up stalling. The Bengals preserved that lead through halftime after Reggie Nelson picked off a Hail Mary pass as time expired.
The two teams’ offensive struggles continued in the second half; Andy Dalton was intercepted by former Bengal, Jonathan Joseph. Joseph has been very good as a Texan, especially when playing the Bengals.
Joseph has now picked off the Bengals in each of their four matchups. Crazy.
— Connor Howe (@iamconnorhowe) November 17, 2015
Later on in the game, Brian Hoyer entered the medical room with concussion symptoms, so T.J. Yates came into the game. He immediately made an impact, finding DeAndre Hopkins for a nice touchdown pass to make the game 10-6.
That pass proved to be the game-changer, as the Bengals offense couldn’t put together a scoring drive for the rest of the game. A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert both dropped a couple of key passes, and Green fumbled the ball on a potential game-winning drive with under a minute left in the game.
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The Bengals couldn’t get the job done on Monday night and are no longer undefeated, so the media will likely be pushing the “prime time Dalton” narrative. Brace yourselves, Bengals fans. But keep calm; the Bengals are 8-1 heading into Arizona with some added motivation from a brutal loss against a beatable team.