The ending for the Texans had a familiar feel, a fumble to end a comeback attempt.
Only this one appeared more painful for Deshaun Watson.
Sam Hubbard grabbed Watson’s arm as he was trying to throw, twisting his shoulder around on a strip-sack with 1:28 left that allowed the Bengals to hold on for a 37-31 victory. Margus Hunt recovered for the Bengals, leading to a Austin Seibert field goal with 18 seconds left to ice it.
The Texans got the ball back, and Watson returned to complete two passes, but it was too little, too late.
The game was meaningful only for draft position for the Bengals and Dolphins, but it was one of the more entertaining games of the day.
The Bengals moved to 4-10-1. The Texans fell to 4-11 to improve their draft position for the Dolphins, who own Houston’s first two picks.
Brandon Allen outplayed Watson, completing 29 of 37 passes for 371 yards and two touchdowns. Tee Higgins caught six passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. Samaje Perine rushed for 95 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries.
Perine scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:57 left on a 3-yard run.
The Texans’ only lead came with 6:15 left in the fourth quarter on a Darren Fells 22-yard touchdown catch that saw the tight end bowl over would-be tacklers the final few yards to the end zone. It did not hold up.
Watson finished 24-of-33 for 324 yards and three touchdowns.