Zac Taylor Dishes Out Defense-Heavy Game Ball Pile After 20-6 Win Over Houston

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Zac Taylor Dishes Out Defense-Heavy Game Ball Pile After 20-6 Win Over Houston

Sep 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back Woody Marks (4) runs with the ball as Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Daxton Hill (23) and safety Jordan Battle (27) attempt to make a tackle during the game at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Russell Heltman · Cincinnati Bengals On SI

Mon, Sep 21, 2026 ·

3 min read

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Plenty of game balls went out from Bengals head coach Zac Taylor after Sunday's 20-6 win over the Texans. His defense posted the lowest point total they've ever allowed in his tenure, keeping the Texans from scoring any touchdowns.

Players across all three phases got game balls from the key AFC win, including that defense, which Sumer Sports noted became just the third unit to have five pass rushers with five-plus pressures in the same game since 2022. Dexter Lawrence , Jonathan Allen , Boye Mafe , Cashius Howell, and Cedric Johnson all joined up for the list.

"Talking last night, that's the team I knew was going to get off the bus," Taylor said to his team in the locker room. "That's the team that's going to get off the bus, send a message, okay, to the conference, to the league, okay, that we're here to stay, man. We got a complete team right now, and that's what we got today. They were 5-of-17 on third down. I saw zero fourth downs converted, okay, big time. Took points off the board every time. Okay, they were 0 for 3 in the red zone. Okay, held them to two field goals. Unbelievable.

"Evan (McPherson) had two field goals over 50. Evan, it's not even worthy of a game ball anymore. It's just what you do all the time. Okay, last night we talked about kickoff and punt. Okay, field position. Seven times they started inside the 25. They got the ball on the eight-yard line, the 12, and the 13. Okay, that's a complete team. When you're playing in all phases, you're winning the field position on the road, hostile territory. You're helping everybody out. That's big time."

Cincinnati didn't seem to suffer any big injuries during the physical game either. They turn the page to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road this weekend.

Check out all the game balls getting dished out below as they sit in first place in the AFC North:

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/bengals/onsi as Zac Taylor Dishes Out Defense-Heavy Game Ball Pile After 20-6 Win Over Houston .

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