CINCINNATI -- The Houston Texans were the perfect team to give the Cincinnati Bengals their first loss -- on their home field in a big Monday night game, no less.
The Texans have a way of doing this to the Bengals, especially if T.J. Yates is the quarterback running the offense.
Yates took over in the third quarter after Brian Hoyer sustained a concussion and he led Houston to a 10-6 victory Monday night, throwing the touchdown pass that knocked the Bengals out of the ranks of the NFL's unbeaten.
The Bengals (8-1) were trying to join New England and Carolina at 9-0 -- three teams have never won their first nine games in a season. A backup quarterback with a history of beating them got in the way.
Yates beat Bengals twice as a rookie during the 2011 season, including a first-round playoff victory that was the Texans' first in the postseason.
"It's a little nostalgic," said Yates, who went 5 of 11 for 69 yards. "I have a lot of good memories in Cincinnati."
And now, another one.
The Texans (4-5) made Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton look bad during first-round playoff victories over the Bengals in the 2011 and 2012 seasons. J.J. Watt returned an interception for a touchdown in the 2011 playoff victory.
The Texans were all over Dalton again Monday night.
"I feel like it's 2011," said Watt, who had one of the three sacks of Dalton. "I'm pretty excited. This is an incredible team."
Yates ended his first drive with a 22-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins, who made a one-handed catch for the game's only touchdown.
"I can't say enough about T.J. doing what he did," Watt said. "I think every time we come into this stadium, he should be our quarterback."
Dalton had another tough time against the Texans, going 21 of 37 for 187 yards with 1 interception and 3 sacks. Cincinnati's final chance slipped away when A.J. Green made a catch for what would have been a first down at the Texans' 23, but he was stripped of the ball by Quintin Demps with 40 seconds left.
"I had both hands on the ball and I took one off to break my fall and he ripped it out," Green said. "I was trying to break my fall.
"We'll be all right. It's tough to lose. Not everything is going to be pretty."
Yates' touchdown pass decided a lackluster game by both offenses.
The Bengals led 6-3 after a first half that was filled with penalties and missed plays. Telling statistics: The quarterbacks led their teams in rushing. Hoyer had 15 yards on one scramble, and Dalton had 30 yards on five carries.
That was especially bad for the Texans, who have been trying unsuccessfully to get one of the league's worst running games going with Arian Foster sidelined by an Achilles tendon injury. The Texans' running backs managed only 25 yards in the first half.
It got more foreboding when Hoyer walked off the field to get examined for a concussion after the second series of the second half. Yates hadn't thrown a pass in a game since he was signed on Oct. 28 to replace Ryan Mallett (Arkansas Razorbacks).
Sports on 11/17/2015