Coming into Week Nine, the Cincinnati Bengals were undefeated with an incredible 8-0 record! It was only a matter of time before someone took them down. Last Monday night the Bengals lost their first game at home to the Houston Texans 10-6. The Texans had their backup quarterback T.J. Yates come in to finish the game while the Texans starter, Brian Hoyer, was taken out of the game with a concussion early in the third quarter. Yates beat the Bengals twice as a rookie in his 2011 season, including a first round playoff win. Yates had finished the night going 5-of-11 with 69 passing yards and one touchdown.

It was destined to happen, the starter gets hurt and now the team looks to the backup quarterback to pull through with a win. “It was a classic ending and well deserved win by the Texans,” mentioned Senior Ryan Passaro. On Yates’ first drive, the team had marched down the field and later connecting with wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on a 22 yard touchdown pass. Hopkins who leaped up in the back corner of the end zone to grab a one-handed touchdown pass for the game’s only touchdown.

Cincinnati’s quarterback Andy Dalton, who had been lethal through the first eight weeks in the NFL, had a tough time against the Texans defense. Dalton went 21-of-37 with 187 passing yards, an interception and three sacks. In the final moments of the game, Cincinnati had one last chance to win. On their final drive, the Bengals perfect season had slipped away when A.J. Green was stripped of the ball with 40 seconds left. What would have lead to a first down at the Texans’ 23-yard line, had turned into the first loss of the season for the Bengals.