Bengals vs. Texans prediction favors Houston to win in NFL Week 2 [2026]

The Houston Texans and Cincinnati Bengals are scheduled to meet in Week 2 of the NFL season at Reliant Stadium on Sunday, starting at 1:00 PM ET.

Dimers' proven NFL model projects the Texans as the most likely winner in this Bengals vs. Texans prediction.

This article offers further insights into this week's matchup, including projected touchdown scorers, best bets and player prop picks.

Bengals vs. Texans prediction and odds

Since our Bengals-Texans predictions earlier in the week, we have re-simulated the outcome of Sunday's NFL game between the Bengals and Texans, forming part of our NFL predictions coverage.

Our independent predictive model gives the Texans a 55.1% chance of beating the Bengals in Week 2 of the NFL season. Our predicted final score has the Texans winning 24-23.

Key factors favoring the Texans:

• Houston Texans Power Rankings
• Houston Texans Defensive Efficiency
• Cincinnati Bengals Defensive Efficiency

According to our model, the Bengals (+2.5) have a 54.9% chance of covering the spread, while the over/under total of 45.5 points has a 57.7% chance of going over.

The main contributing factors to the over being more likely are:

• Weather / Conditions
• QB Ratings

To see win probabilities for every matchup this week, check out our expert NFL Week 2 straight up picks.

Latest betting odds

We have researched the best NFL odds in America for this game, which are listed here:

• Spread: Bengals +2.5 (+108) / Texans -2.5 (-113)
• Moneyline: Bengals +144, Texans -142
• Total: Over/Under 45.5 (-104/+100)

All odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.

Model picks and best bet

After matching our predictions against the best available odds, we can reveal our picks for each of the major markets in this matchup. Plus, find our best bet for the game below:

• Spread: Bengals +2.5 @ 48¢ via Polymarket
• Moneyline: Bengals @ 41¢ via Polymarket
• Total: Over 45.5 @ 51¢ via Novig

According to our NFL best bets, the top play to make on this game is Bengals +2.5 at the spread.

These picks are based on our probabilities matched against the implied probabilities from the current available odds.

Bengals vs. Texans TD scorers

Who will score a touchdown in Bengals vs. Texans?

According to our list of touchdown scorer predictions for today, David Montgomery is most likely to score an anytime TD in Bengals vs. Texans.

Our projections give Montgomery a 54.1% chance of scoring a TD at Reliant Stadium, while the running back is a 12.9% chance of scoring the first touchdown the game.

Anytime touchdown scorer predictions

Cincinnati Bengals

• Chase Brown (RB): 44.1% probability
• Ja'Marr Chase (WR): 42.0%
• Tee Higgins (WR): 38.5%
• Mike Gesicki (TE): 17.8%
• Samaje Perine (RB): 15.4%

Houston Texans

• David Montgomery (RB): 54.1% prob.
• Woody Marks (RB): 28.3%
• Dalton Schultz (TE): 27.6%
• Kayshon Boutte (WR): 26.5%
• Xavier Hutchinson (WR): 24.6%

First touchdown scorer predictions

Cincinnati Bengals

• Chase Brown (RB): 10.4% prob.
• Ja'Marr Chase (WR): 9.8%
• Tee Higgins (WR): 8.7%
• Mike Gesicki (TE): 3.5%
• Samaje Perine (RB): 3.0%

Houston Texans

• David Montgomery (RB): 12.9% prob.
• Woody Marks (RB): 5.5%
• Dalton Schultz (TE): 5.3%
• Kayshon Boutte (WR): 5.1%
• Xavier Hutchinson (WR): 4.7%

Top player props

Discover our predictions for the players likely to lead in passing, rushing and receiving yards for both the Bengals and Texans. Head to our NFL player projections page now to access a full list of player prop projections for every offensive player in this matchup and all other Week 2 games.

Quarterbacks

Of the starting quarterbacks, the Bengals' Joe Burrow is projected for 256 passing yards, while the Texans' C.J. Stroud is expected to throw for 228 yards.

Bengals rushing

• Chase Brown: 61 yds
• Samaje Perine: 20 yds
• Joe Burrow: 12 yds

Texans rushing

• David Montgomery: 64 yds
• Woody Marks: 33 yds
• C.J. Stroud: 13 yds

Bengals receiving

• Ja'Marr Chase: 80 yds
• Tee Higgins: 58 yds
• Mike Gesicki: 28 yds
• Chase Brown: 24 yds
• Andrei Iosivas: 21 yds

Texans receiving

• Dalton Schultz: 47 yds
• Kayshon Boutte: 42 yds
• Xavier Hutchinson: 38 yds
• Jaylin Noel: 34 yds
• David Montgomery: 16 yds

Game info & kickoff details

The NFL Week 2 game between the Texans and Bengals at Reliant Stadium is scheduled to begin at 1:00 PM ET.

• Who: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Houston Texans
• Date: Sunday, September 20, 2026
• Time: 1:00 PM ET/10:00AM PT
• Venue: Reliant Stadium

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Conclusion

We predict the Texans, with a 55.1% win probability, will likely beat the Bengals in Week 2 of the NFL season.

Additional tools and information for betting safely can be found in our Responsible Gambling hub.

This article's predictions and probabilities are generated by Dimers' proprietary NFL prediction model. Our editorial team reviews the resulting content for accuracy and presentation before publication.