Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase connect for two touchdowns as Cincinnati’s defense shuts down Houston in a 20-6 road win.

The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t need a shootout Sunday.

They needed Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and a defense that refused to let Houston finish drives.

That formula worked just fine.

Burrow threw two touchdown passes to Chase, Evan McPherson drilled two field goals from beyond 50 yards, and the Bengals beat the Houston Texans 20-6 at Reliant Stadium to improve to 2-0.

Burrow, who entered the game dealing with back tightness, completed 20 of 31 passes for 207 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Chase caught seven passes for 75 yards and both scores, while Tee Higgins led Cincinnati with 95 receiving yards on five catches.

The Bengals’ first major swing came midway through the second quarter.

Houston faced fourth-and-inches at the Cincinnati 18, but defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II blew up the play and dropped David Montgomery for a 1-yard loss. Cincinnati took over and immediately made the Texans pay.

Burrow directed an 81-yard touchdown drive and finished it with a 32-yard strike to Chase, who fought through tight coverage from Derek Stingley Jr. to make a spectacular scoring grab near the pylon.

Houston answered with a field goal before halftime, but Cincinnati steadily took control after the break.

McPherson connected from 51 yards, then Burrow found Chase again for an 18-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter. That score gave Chase his 14th career multi-touchdown receiving game and moved him ahead of Davante Adams for the most receiving touchdowns in the NFL since the start of Chase’s 2021 rookie season.

McPherson later buried a 57-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to stretch the lead to 20-6.

The bigger story, though, was Cincinnati’s defense.

Houston actually outgained the Bengals 374-267, and C.J. Stroud threw for 353 yards, but the Texans never reached the end zone. Cincinnati held Houston to just 60 rushing yards and limited the Texans to 5-for-17 on third down.

Dalton Schultz was Houston’s most productive target, catching 12 passes for 140 yards, but most of that production came between the 20s. Once the Texans approached scoring territory, Cincinnati repeatedly tightened up.

Houston was also playing without top receiver Nico Collins, who was inactive with a hamstring injury.

The Bengals’ pass protection was far from perfect. Houston sacked Burrow five times, and Cincinnati committed 12 penalties for 78 yards. But the Bengals didn’t turn the ball over, and Burrow consistently found Higgins and Chase when the offense needed a conversion.

Chase Brown also gave Cincinnati some balance with 80 rushing yards on 20 carries.

The game ended with the Bengals’ defense still attacking. Houston’s final possession included late sacks of Stroud by Shemar Stewart and Cedric Johnson, putting the final stamp on a performance that looked much more like the defense Cincinnati hoped it had built during the offseason.

For the Bengals, 2-0 is significant.

They opened the season by surviving Tampa Bay 33-27. This time, they won a completely different kind of game … controlling the scoreboard, protecting the football and holding an opponent without a touchdown.

Now Cincinnati heads to Pittsburgh next Sunday with a chance to start 3-0.