Texans Hold on for Huge Road Win Over Bengals

It wasn't pretty at the end but the Texans got it done

The Houston Texans escaped a comeback attempt from the Bengals to win 30-27.

Here are 11 observations from the thrilling win.

1. It was closer than it needed to be, but the Texans got the win. It was a mostly complete game by all the elements of this team. When you add in the tremendous amount of injuries the Texans are dealing with it takes the level of impressiveness to the next level. DeMeco Ryans had the defense ready to play for a huge portion of this game. C.J. Stroud did great, with a hiccup here or there. It got uncomfortable, but then the Texans moved the ball for the win just like last week. This is a growing team that is keeping mistakes from lingering.

2. Passing the ball late was idiotic. The Texans never should have put C.J. Stroud in that spot. Stroud never should have thrown the ball there that got intercepted. The defense had been playing extremely well, why not trust them if you have to punt? It was a curious decision that almost cost the Texans the game. Then on the ensuing drive, Stroud was tasked with throwing it again and it fell incomplete. I hated the passing decision in both cases.

3. C.J. Stroud was electric. Sure, the late mistake was ugly, but he was excellent. There are moments from this game that when you watch them back they make your jaw drop. He is a unique talent. He extended plays and kept his eyes down the field to make big plays. The called-off touchdown to Robert Woods is one of the more impressive plays the young quarterback has made. More and more special moments occur for Stroud each week.

4. Tank Dell is tough as hell and tougher to defend. The rookie wideout, whom Kevin Harlan deemed a “speed merchant” during the game, was awesome as usual. His shimmy and shake in the red zone for a score was one of the best individual efforts of the game. He was Stroud’s most-trusted receiver on Sunday with a ton of targets. Dell also withstood a HARD hit in the middle of the game. The drop late in the game was horrible but didn’t end up costing the Texans too much.