Instant analysis after Bengals flop in loss to Texans

— Bengals went heavy to tight ends early with Tanner Hudson recording a career-high five catches in the first four minutes of the game.

— With Tee Higgins out, it was Trenton Irwin scoring the touchdown — the fifth consecutive opening-drive touchdown for the offense. An absolutely stunning throw from Burrow while Ja’Marr Chase served as a decoy in the slot.

— Disaster after that: The Bengals gained less than 40 yards of total offense for the remainder of the first half. It seemed the Texans made an adjustment that had Burrow constantly checking down.

— Meanwhile, the defense never looked right well into the third quarter with a rookie C.J. Stroud able to complete multiple third-and-long attempts. Angles, timing and staying with receivers when the quarterback scrambled were all major issues, especially for the secondary.

— The Bengals defense usually comes out of halftime adjusted and better. That wasn’t the case on the opening drive of the second half, where the Texans easily marched down the field after consistent big plays. Only a penalty saved the unit from giving up a touchdown.

— Down 20-10, Burrow willed a big play, escaping the pocket and on the run, hit Ja’Marr Chase for a 64-yard touchdown.

— Bengals defense immediately gave up a huge play that quickly led to a touchdown. It was Chidobe Awuzie getting lost on a deep ball before the unit didn’t cover a Stroud rushing touchdown.

— Joe Burrow’s pick was a slight overthrow to Drew Sample in the seam. That’s the product of needing to be aggressive while relying on non-standard targets while guys like Tee Higgins are out.

— Burrow’s second pick on the next offensive drive was a big misfire into double-plus coverage.

— C.J. Stroud threw a stunning pick while trying to drain the clock, with Cam Taylor-Britt nearly taking it back for a score before Joe Mixon indeed got in the endzone to make it 27-24.

— Bengals, with just the two-minute warning and one timeout, got a key stop to give Burrow and Co. one chance to win it. And they would have — but Tyler Boyd dropped a game-winning touchdown pass, resulting in the offense settling for a field goal to tie it.