What We Saw: Week 10

The QB List team recaps everything you missed from Week 10

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Texans @ Bengals
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Houston Texans @ Cincinnati Bengals

Final Score: Texans 30, Bengals 27

Writer: Ryan Radel (@RadelFF on Twitter)

 

This matchup has to be one of the more entertaining games I have had the pleasure to watch this season. It felt like a boxing match with both teams exchanging scoring blows after a slow offensive start to open the game. At one point the Texans put up 20 unanswered points to take a 20-7 lead midway through the third quarter before Cincinnati battled back to eventually tie the game at 27 with 1:33 left to play. Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud looked like anything but a rookie as he led his team down the field to set up the game-winning field goal as time expired. It was an exciting game, but also a sloppy game as the two teams combined for five giveaways, three of which came in the fourth quarter.

 

Three Up

  • Tank Dell – With Nico Collins out, Tank received a whopping 14 targets and found the endzone. Even when Collins returns, Tank should remain a big part of this offense.
  • Noah Brown – Also benefitting from the absence of Nico Collins, Brown followed up last week’s 6/153/1 stat line with a 7/172 on eight targets. Stroud looks like he trusts him.
  • Ja’Marr Chase – The rumors of his back injury have been greatly exaggerated. He’s definitely not 100% but who is at this point in the season?

Three Down

  • Joe Mixon – A late touchdown salvaged an otherwise dud of a day. The Bengals just don’t run the ball.
  • C.J. Stroud – By no means did Stroud have a bad game, but the turnovers were a little concerning and kept the Bengals in the game late.
  • Dameon Pierce – The performance of Devin Singletary removes a lot of job security for the former 4th-round pick.

 

Houston Texans

 

Quarterback

 

C.J. Stroud: 23/39, 356 yards, touchdown, interception, sack, 2 fumbles (2 lost) | 2 carries, 8 yards, touchdown

C.J. Stroud got off to a slow start, with two of the first four drives for the Texans ending in a lost fumble while a third drive ended quickly with a punt. Stroud composed himself and scored on the following three drives to take a nice lead over the Bengals. Stroud looked to have strong chemistry with all of his pass catchers, especially Tank Dell and the emerging Noah Brown. Stroud did throw a bad interception late in the game which the Bengals capitalized on to keep the game closer than it needed to be, but he redeemed himself a couple drives later by driving downfield to set up the game-winning field goal as the game clock expired.

 

Missed Opportunities:

  • If you consider the points left on the board due to three turnovers, this could’ve been an even bigger game.

 

 

Running Back

 

Devin Singletary: 30 carries, 150 yards, touchdown | 2 targets, 1 reception, 11 yards

31 touches. Thirty-one. That is a LOT of touches. Not only a lot of touches, but a lot of efficient touches as Devin Singletary averaged nearly 5.2 yards per touch on the day. The Texans relied on him to churn the clock after they took the lead and Singletary delivered. With a rushing long of only 22 yards, ending the game with 150 is impressive. Singletary had six of his touches go for over 10 yards, so while he didn’t make any huge plays, he gashed the defense repeatedly all day. It will be interesting to see what happens when Dameon Pierce returns from injury because Singletary looked better than Pierce has at any point this season.

 

 

Mike Boone: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 6 yards

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Tank Dell: 14 targets, 6 receptions, 56 yards, touchdown | 1 carry, 13 yards

The primary beneficiary of the absence of Nico Collins, Tank Dell was targeted a whopping 14 times in the passing game as Stroud targeted him early and often. Dell did leave the game due to injury halfway through the second quarter (not before scoring from six yards out!) but returned after halftime. Dell drew a defensive pass interference call that was enforced for 42 yards which helped set up a Singletary rushing touchdown two plays later. Dell was targeted on Stroud’s late-game interception and made a crucial tackle to prevent what may have been a pick-six.

 

 

Noah Brown: 8 targets, 7 receptions, 172 yards

Maybe it’s an Ohio State thing, but the connection between C.J. Stroud and Noah Brown seems to be blossoming before our very eyes. After totaling just 114 yards on 20 targets across the first seven games of the season, Brown has put up 325 yards and a score on 14 targets over the last two games. The absence of Nico Collins demanded someone step up, and that someone has been Noah Brown. He was held out of the endzone but otherwise ran wild against the Bengals secondary – six out of his seven receptions went for at least 20 yards.

 

 

Dalton Schultz: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 71 yards

Even though he was kept out of the endzone for only the second time in the last six games, Dalton Schultz still had a respectable stat line as he helped move the chains for the Texans’ offense. He didn’t have a flashy day, but six targets was still a good sign. Considering the lack of overall tight end production so far in 2023, Schultz looked like he should have a reliable floor as the season goes on.

 

John Metchie III: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 25 yards

 

Robert Woods: 3 targets, 1 reception, 15 yards

Bobby Trees, oh how you have fallen from grace…

 

Xavier Hutchinson: 1 target | 1 carry, 17 yards

 

Cincinnati Bengals

 

Quarterback

 

Joe Burrow: 27/40, 347 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 4 sacks, fumble (recovered) | 5 carries, 20 yards

Joe Burrow led the Bengals on a 5+ minute scoring drive to open the game, but punted on the following four drives, three of which were three-and-out’s. Cincinnati’s first drive of the second half was rough as well as Burrow was strip-sacked on third down to force another three-and-out. Burrow led scoring drives on the following two drives before tossing ugly back-to-back interceptions, one of which came in the red zone with four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Burrow was able to set up a game-tying field goal but the costly turnovers were too much to overcome. On a good note, the lingering calf injury seems to be behind him:

 

 

Running Back

 

Joe Mixon: 11 carries, 45 yards, touchdown | 3 targets, 2 receptions, -1 yard

Playing from behind for almost the entire game meant the game script was not in Joe Mixon’s favor. The Texans’ defense kept Mixon bottled up for the majority of the game. C.J. Stroud threw an interception that was returned to the Houston four-yard line which set up a one-yard plunge into the end zone for Mixon to salvage an otherwise disappointing outing.

 

Trayveon Williams: 1 target, 1 reception, 2 yards

 

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Ja’Marr Chase: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 124 yards, touchdown

After reports of a back injury put Ja’Marr Chase‘s availability in question, he suited up and made his usual impact via splash plays, like the 64-yard score gif’d below. Six targets was his lowest total on the season so far which I took as he was a little beat up and couldn’t be force-fed the ball like we have seen in the past. It is definitely something to monitor but also a good sign that Chase was able to play the entire game.

 

 

Tyler Boyd: 12 targets, 8 receptions, 117 yards

With Tee Higgins missing the game due to injury, his targets had to go somewhere, and they went to Tyler Boyd as he set a new season-high for targets, receptions, and yards. Boyd helped move the chains all game but was mostly kept in check until he exploded for a 64-yard reception to put his team in field goal range to potentially tie the game up with under two minutes left – but we know how that ended.

 

Missed Opportunities

  • An endzone target in the fourth quarter was intercepted.

 

Trenton Irwin: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 54 yards, touchdown

Trenton Irwin stepped up like he typically has when called upon to fill in for his fellow injured pass-catchers. Irwin’s target count wasn’t anything impressive but he was able to secure one of them for a 32-yard touchdown to put the first points of the game on the board. Afterward, though, he was pretty quiet outside of one more 22-yard catch in the fourth quarter.

 

 

Tanner Hudson: 7 targets, 6 receptions, 33 yards

The tight end position has been a carousel of Smith, Sample, and now Tanner Hudson. Hudson was generally targeted on shorter routes and acted as a safety valve for Burrow. The tight end position itself brings some value in this offense, with the position group totaling 11 targets, 9 receptions, and 51 yards with the potential to score, but Burrow spreads the ball out too much. Anyway, I digress.

 

Drew Sample: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 12 yards

 

Irv Smith Jr.: 1 target, 1 reception, 6 yards

 

Mitchell Wilcox:1 target

 

Andrei Iosivas: 1 target

 

Thanks for reading!!

-Ryan

Series Navigation
Introduction
Panthers @ Bears
Colts @ Patriots
Browns @ Ravens
Texans @ Bengals
49ers @ Jaguars
Saints @ Vikings
Packers @ Steelers
Titans @ Buccaneers
Falcons @ Cardinals
Lions @ Chargers
Giants @ Cowboys
Commanders @ Seahawks
Jets @ Raiders

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