Deshaun Watson ran 49 yards for a touchdown in his first NFL start and led the Houston Texans' depleted offence to a late clinching field goal in a 13-9 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals last night.
Watson showed up in a black tuxedo for his first NFL start _ it was his 22nd birthday, no less _ and showed the flash that helped him lead Clemson to a national title.
The Texans (1-1) got the most out of their depleted offence, and then let their defence do the rest. The Bengals (0-2) have failed to score a touchdown in their two games to open a season for the first time in their 50 seasons.
Watson led a 13-play drive that set up Ka'imi Fairbairn's 42-yard field goal with 1:56 left. The Bengals got the ball two more times, but failed to cross midfield.
The Bengals managed only three field goals by Randy Bullock on Thursday. Dalton fell to 1-6 career against the Texans, including a pair of playoff losses.