Deshaun Watson passed for 125 yards and had a 49-yard run for a touchdown in his first career start on his 22nd birthday, lifting the Houston Texans to a 13-9 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night at Paul Brown Stadium.
DeAndre Hopkins had seven catches for 73 yards for the Texans (1-1), who avoided their first 0-2 start since 2015.
The Texans relied heavily on their rushing attack, with 168 yards, including Watson's 67. Lamar Miller had 61 yards on 18 carries.
Cincinnati, meanwhile, has not scored a touchdown in eight quarters to begin the season. It's the 15th time the Bengals have started 0-2, which is an ominous sign for the team, considering it has never reached the playoffs after losing two to start the season.
The mood after the game reflected the result.
"We suck," Dre Kirkpatrick, the Bengals' 27-year-old cornerback said, according to Fox Sports' Jeremy Rauch. A Bengals player was also overheard shouting, "We just lost to the worst team in the league."
Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton was coming off one of the worst performances of his career in last week's 20-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, when he threw four interceptions. He didn't throw an interception Thursday night but was off-target for much of the game, going 20 of 35 for 224 yards.
"If you're going to win in this league, you have to score touchdowns," he said.
Watson earned the start after passing for 102 yards with a TD and an interception after taking over for Tom Savage in the second half of last week's loss to Jacksonville. Watson was 15 of 24 and was sacked three times Thursday but maintained his composure throughout.
The teams traded field goals in the second half as Ka'imi Fairbairn's 42-yarder with 2:01 left gave Houston a 13-9 lead. Cincinnati's last drive ended when Dalton threw incomplete on 4th-and-9 from his own 44.
There were a combined nine punts in the first half.
Cincinnati rookie wide receiver John Ross's first career touch looked to be a 12-yard gain on an end-around, but he fumbled, and Jadeveon Clowney returned it 48 yards to the Bengals' 20-yard line.
That led to a 26-yard field goal by Fairbairn to put Houston ahead 3-0.
After 15 scoreless possessions to begin the season, the Bengals finally got on the board with a 39-yard field goal by Randy Bullock, set up by A.J. Green's 50-yard catch.
Later in the second quarter, Watson was drilled by Geno Atkins for an 11-yard sack, one of three sacks for the Bengals in the half.
Two plays later, Watson scrambled on third-and-15, broke two tackles and raced 49 yards for a touchdown, putting the Texans ahead 10-3.
Cincinnati drove 64 yards in 48 seconds just before halftime but was forced to settle for a 29-yard Bullock field goal, making the score 10-6.
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