CINCINNATI — The Bengals made their 2020 season at least somewhat of a success on Monday night with a win over their hated rivals from Pittsburgh. But there are still two games remaining in the regular-season, including this Sunday at Houston. Even though this is a game between two teams who each have 10 losses, there are still plenty points of motivation for the Bengals to go out and deliver their fourth win of the season. Playing on a short week, Cincinnati has an opportunity to build on the momentum from Monday night’s win and capture their first road victory of the season. That will also build momentum for the season-finale next week against the playoff-aspiring Ravens. The Bengals will also have another shot at beating a team with a dual-threat quarterback in DeShaun Watson, a week before facing Lamar Jackson and the Ravens for the second time this season.
Obviously, this game is an opportunity to build off of Monday night’s stunning victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Great teams and organizations can always search for points of motivation for any game on the schedule regardless of what their record is. Just look at Monday night. 2-10-1, third-string quarterback and numerous other key players out, nobody giving them a chance to win on national television, and the Bengals went out there and snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Steelers by beating them at their own game; with physicality on defense and relentlessly running the football But the win won’t mean as much if it doesn’t mount into a winning streak heading towards the end of the season.
The last time the Bengals faced the Texans, a 13-9 week two loss in 2017, Houston quarterback DeShaun Watson made his first career start throwing for just 125 yards. But he also ran for 67 yards including a difference-making 49-yard touchdown run late in the first half. Fast forward to the home stretch of his fourth season, and Watson has already amassed nearly 14,000 passing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns in his bright young career. He’s a dual-threat quarterback, and the Bengals have had their struggles with dual-threat quarterbacks and dynamic offenses in recent years. Cincinnati hasn’t faced a true dual-threat quarterback since Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in week five- really any quarterback in today’s NFL can be dual-threat- but the Bengals defense did a pretty competent job against Jackson and Baltimore the first time around them this season, holding the reigning NFL MVP to just three yards rushing and only 180 yards passing. Cincinnati’s defense has actually been performing better as of late, including holding each of their last two opponents to under 300 total yards of offense. And in three of their last five games, the Bengals have held their opponents to under 200 yards passing.
Despite an offense that has fallen apart around him due to injuries and suspensions, Watson has arguably been having the best season of his career with a career high and touchdowns and career low in interceptions. He will also have, barring something catastrophic, a career high in passing yards by season’s end. Watson is, essentially, the entire Houston offense. They go as he goes. I say that because with a running game that ranks near the bottom of the NFL, the Texans are solely reliant on DeShaun Watson to carry the offense. Houston will be without their starting right tackle, Titus Howard, due to a concussion, but it will be interesting regardless to see how the Bengals defense fares against the prolifically dangerous Watson.
As much as the elephant in the room is the Bengals having not won a playoff game in 30 years- sheesh, that’s a long time- there’s also that monkey on their backs of this franchise having not won a road game since week four of the 2018 season. For those keeping track, that amounts to a 20-game stretch without a road win, including an 0-14-1 road record under Zac Taylor. Not good. But winning Sunday would not only give Zac Taylor his first road win as a head coach, but it would also continue to build momentum heading down the stretch in overcoming obstacles that have plagued this franchise in recent years.
There has been only one other head coach prior to Taylor to not win a road game in his first two seasons as a head coach, and those two years were all he got as a head coach. That goes to show, or at least it should go to show, that winning on the road is an important measure of success for a head coach. The fact that the Bengals haven’t won away from home since I was still a teenager is embarrassing. If Zac Taylor is going to get a third season as a head coach, I want to have some confidence that he can lead this team to victory on the road. Even just one win Sunday at Houston will give me at least some confidence.
Let me be Frank and Cut to the Chase 