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About halfway through their first season under first-year head coach Demeco Ryans, the Houston Texans have five victories, with the latest coming at the expense of the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 12. That’s an improvement from the past three seasons, which ended with either three or four wins.
"Our guys are relentless,” said the team in a postgame post on Platform X.
In preparation for their Week 10 face-off, it was clear to the Texans that they were up against formidable opponents. The Bengals were riding high on a four-game winning streak, and their fourth-year player Joe Burrow appeared to have a firm grip on the NFL MVP Award of 2023. Unfortunately for them, several key players like wideout Nico Collins, running back Dameon Pierce and kicker Kaimi Fairbairn were unavailable for this critical match. However, after an initial scoring drive by the Bengals, there was a noticeable shift in momentum favoring Houston.
Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud managed to astound spectators yet again following his impressive 470-yard five-score performance at home on Nov. 5. Returning to his college football state resulted in a spectacular 356-yard one-touchdown game against the Bengals. A report from the Texan's website highlighted Noah Brown's contribution of 150 yards out of Stroud's total gain; Brown had moved over from Dallas during offseason. This statistic put him in line with Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins—Texan receivers known for consecutively gaining more than100 receiving yards in games.
The Texan’s ground game has faced criticism over several years but found renewed energy from Devin Singletary who clocked an impressive150 rushing yards and scored once as well. Sports Illustrated reported that Singletary - aged26 and recently acquired from Buffalo during offseason – was Houston's first player to rush over 100 yards in the span of a season's games. The Texans are scheduled to play against the Arizona Cardinals at home for Week 11 on Nov. 19.