Mike Nugent hit an ice-cold 49-yard field goal with 1:55 left in the game that gave the Bengals enough breathing room for a 22-13 victory over the Texans that kept them in first place in the wild AFC North at 7-3-1.
They took eight minutes off the clock at NRG Stadium with 17 plays and two timeouts in building a stunning 20-minute edge in time of possession, but could only manage a 31-yard field goal from Nugent that expanded the Cincinnati lead to 19-13 with 8:48 left in the game.
In the drive, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton hit wide receiver A.J. Green for his personal-best 12th catch and wide receiver Mohamed Sanu made a diving third-down grab to keep it going. But when they got into the red zone, Dalton’s bid to hit them both in the end zone barely missed and a third-down bid to tight end Jermaine Gresham went over his head to bring on Nugent.
Dalton got that first win in his hometown of Houston with a steel-belted 84.6 passer rating on 233 passing yards that went with a TD and a pick six. Green finished with 121 yards on those 12 catches.
Then the Bengals defense, as it did much of a day they didn’t give up a TD, followed that with a huge three-and-out. But the offense couldn’t come up with that killing clock-draining drive and it also had to punt on a three-and-out. Dalton couldn’t get his feet set after the play clock ticked down and he threw it low to Gresham on third down.
But the defense responded again with another three-and-out and gave the ball back to the Bengals with 4:58 left, courtesy of left end Carlos Dunlap’s sack, saving the only sack of quarterback Ryan Mallett for the very last and best.
But with 4:06 left, the Bengals faced another long third down after two runs to Jeremy Hill got just five yards. But a nine-yard throw to Hill in the flat got the first down and then Hill took off on a 30-yard gain to the Texans 15 with 2:41 left that forced Houston to use up all its timeouts before they got the ball back. Giovani Bernard lost five yards on a safety blitz before Bernard looked to get the first down back to end it with a spinning move inside the 15.
But rookie fullback Ryan Hewitt was called for a holding call and Nugent suddenly had to try a 49-yard field goal. He’s hit eight straight since his miss at the overtime gun in the 37-37 tie with Carolina Oct. 12 Hill bobbed for 87 yards on 18 carries and Bernard weaved for 45 more on 17 carries.
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