Deshaun Watson Leads Texans to 13-9 Win over Bengals in NFL Debut

The Houston Texans defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 13-9 Thursday night in Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.

Dropping back behind a leaky Texans offensive line, quarterback Deshaun Watson didn't have a great performance through the air in his first NFL start. He finished 15-of-24 for 125 yards.

Watson offered Houston fans a glimpse of his potential, though, when he put the Texans ahead 10-3 with 50 seconds remaining until halftime. The rookie passer was flushed out of the pocket and broke free for a 49-yard touchdown run. According to the Texans, it's the longest run by a quarterback in franchise history.

The NFL shared a replay:

A number of NFL stars took notice of the former Clemson Tigers standout:

Aside from Watson's electric run, defense was the dominant theme of the first half as the Bengals and Texans combined for 16 points and 318 yards. Nine of the first 12 drives ended in punts.

The poor showing will have been particularly frustrating for Bengals fans, who watched the Baltimore Ravens shut out Cincinnati in Week 1. According to Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith, the 2009 St. Louis Rams were the last team to get blanked through the first five quarters of a season until Cincinnati matched the feat Thursday night.

According to Smith, no team in the last 100 years began a year with six quarters without a score—a fate the Bengals avoided with a pair of Randy Bullock field goals in the second quarter.

Little changed for either team in the second half. CBSSports.com's Will Brinson shared this stat heading into the fourth quarter:

Ka'imi Fairbairn connected on his second field goal of the game with 2:01 to play, and the Texans' four-point lead was enough with Cincinnati's offense sputtering.

According to Elias Sports (via ESPN Stats & Info), the Bengals are the first team since the 1939 Philadelphia Eagles to go without a touchdown starting at home in its first two games.

The Bengals prioritized upgrading their offensive skill positions in the draft when they selected John Ross in the first round and Joe Mixon in the second. Ross missed last week's game due to a knee injury and was a non-factor Thursday, fumbling the ball on his only touch. Mixon was slightly better, running for 36 yards on nine carries.

Andy Dalton threw for 224 yards on 20-of-35 passing. Pro Football Talk likely spoke for a number of Bengals fans concerning the performance:

Thursday's game was far from a playoff eliminator this early into the regular season, but a 0-2 start has historically been a bad omen for teams with playoff aspirations.

The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Bengals, who hit the road in Week 3 to take on the Green Bay Packers. Cincinnati has, however, won its last three meetings against Green Bay.

Slipping to 0-3 is a distinct possibility for Cincinnati with a trip to Lambeau Field ahead. Should Dalton and the Bengals offense fail to consistently move the ball for a third straight week, the calls to bring in AJ McCarron at quarterback will grow louder.

The Texans don't have a favorable matchup in Week 3, either, as they meet the reigning champion New England Patriots on Sept. 24. Since entering the league, Houston is 1-8 against the Patriots between the regular season and playoffs.

A date with the Patriots is daunting, but Watson offered encouraging returns in his first start—which also came on a short week. Though the 2016 Heisman Trophy runner-up remains a work in progress, he gave head coach Bill O'Brien little reason to reinsert Tom Savage as the starting quarterback anytime soon.