Cincinnati Bengals vs Houston Texans Prediction, Preview and Odds - 09/20/2026

Game Time: 1:00 pm ET, Sunday, September 20, 2026

Venue:  Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX

Where to Watch:  CBS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Bengals +2.5, Texans -2.5; Over/Under:  46.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Bengals +2.5, Texans -2.5; Over/Under:  46.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Bengals +2.5, Texans -2.5; Over/Under:  46.5 points

Cincinnati Bengals:  1-0 (1st place, AFC North)

Houston Texans:  0-1 (2nd place, AFC South)

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Cincinnati Bengals:  won their last game at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33-27.

Houston Texans:  lost their last game at home against the Buffalo Bills 36-31.

The Bengals are entering this game with a 1-0 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their divisional games too. They are 1-0 in their home games, 0-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33-27. Joe Burrow was the starting QB and he completed 25/35 passes for 254 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Chase Brown led the team in rushing yards with 56 and 1 TD. Mike Gesicki led the receivers with 78 receiving yards on 5 receptions and 1 TD. Jordan Battle led the defense in that game with 9 solo tackles while Jonathan Allen, Boye Mafe, and Kris Jenkins Jr. each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

The Texans are entering this game with a 0-1 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their divisional games too. They are 0-1 in their home games, 0-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They lost their last game against the Buffalo Bills 36-31. C. J. Stroud was the starting QB and he completed 26/38 passes for 274 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. David Montgomery led the team in rushing yards with 60 and 2 TDs. Nico Collins led the receivers with 75 receiving yards on 7 receptions and 1 TD. Azeez Al-Shaair led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles while Jadeveon Clowney led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have the Bengals listed as a 2.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Bengals have looked good in their games this season with their 1-0 record overall so far. They haven't played any road games yet and will be playing their 1st road game of the year here. Meanwhile, the Texans haven't looked great in their games this season with their 0-1 record overall so far. They haven't looked great on their home field either with their 0-1 home record this year. The Texans are coming off a 36-31 loss to the Bills in their last one and that is a team that they have had a ton of success against over the years. The offense had some big issues last season and looked a lot better to start this season with 31 points put up, but they had one of the best defenses in the NFL last year and that defense was nowhere to be found in week 1. They gave up 36 points and that was against a really good Bills offense, but they are getting another really good offense coming into town here. The Bengals have had one of the best offenses in the NFL when Burrow has been healthy and they are coming off a 33-27 win over the Buccaneers in week 1. Their offense is going to be an issue for this Texans defense that wasn't on the ball in week 1. The Texans also had chances to win that game on defense and couldn't come up with the big plays. The Bengals have had one of the worst defenses in the NFL and they still gave up 27 points in week 1, but they forced a lot of turnovers in that game and the Buccaneers do have a better offense than what they will see here. Look for the Bengals to continue their hot start to the season and pull off the upset in this one. The best way to place a bet here is on the Bengals to cover the spread in this game. 

Bengals Texans Prediction:  Our NFL Pick for Sunday, September 20, 2026 (1:00 pm ET start time) is Bengals 27 Texans 24.

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Cincinnati Bengals: 11-6 ATS in road games. 10-6 ATS after playing a game at home. 6-3 UNDER in games played on a grass field. 74-55 UNDER in a road game where the total is between 42.5 and 49 points. 

Houston Texans: 6-11 ATS in all games where the total is between 42.5 and 49 points. 32-43 ATS after a game with a turnover margin of -2 or worse. 8-0 UNDER as a home favorite of 7 points or less. 15-3 UNDER in all games where the total is between 42.5 and 49 points.

Cincinnati Bengals:  D. Lawrence II (DL) Injured - Unknown. J. Allen (DL) Injured - Rest. B. Hill (DL) Injured - Rest. D. Turner II (CB) Injured - Hamstring. T. Higgins (WR) Injured - Foot. J. Chase (WR) Injured - Knee. S. Stewart (DL) Doubtful - Knee.

Houston Texans:  T. Brown (OT) Injured - Wrist. W. Woodaz (LB) Injured - Thumb. W. Anderson Jr. (DL) Injured - Rest. K. McDonald (DL) Injured - Ankle.

“You felt their presence, all of them today. It was fun to watch those guys get in the action and create all those turnovers.” - Zac Taylor after his team’s win against the Bucs in their last game. 

“We had multiple opportunities to make plays, had chances to make plays on the football and we didn’t make plays.” - DeMeco Ryans after his team’s loss against the Bills in their last game.  

WR Chase, Ja'Marr

WR Higgins, Tee

WR Iosivas, Andrei

TE Sample, Drew

QB Burrow, Joe

RB Brown, Chase

WR Collins, Nico

WR Boutte, Kayshon

WR Hutchinson, Xavier

TE Schultz, Dalton

QB Stroud, C.J.

RB Montgomery, David

FB Brooks, British

Passing: Joe Burrow (254)

Rushing: Chase Brown (56)

Receiving: Mike Gesicki (78)

Touchdowns: Mike Gesicki (1)

Passing: C.J. Stroud (274)

Rushing: David Montgomery (60)

Receiving: Nico Collins (75)

Touchdowns: David Montgomery (3)

Coaches:

Cincinnati Bengals: Zac Taylor (8th season)

Houston Texans: DeMeco Ryans (4th season)