It was not a thing of beauty, but Deshaun Watson made it a happy birthday with his first career victory in his first career start. Watson, 22, provided the only touchdown, a 49-yard scramble just before halftime, in the Texans’ 13-9 victory over the Bengals.
Watson finished 15-of-24 for 125 yards and 75.9 passer rating. He also rushed for a game-leading 67 yards on five carries.
In what likely will go down as one of the worst games of the season, the teams combined for 16 punts and 16 penalties. They each went 4-for-15 on third down.
The Bengals, shut out last week by the Ravens, became the first team since the 1939 Eagles not to score a touchdown in back-to-back home games to start the season.
Cincinnati ran for only 82 yards, and Andy Dalton again struggled, completing 20 of 35 passes for 224 yards against his hometown team.