Will Anderson calls Texans’ loss to Bills a 'wake-up call' for the defense ahead of Bengals visit

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson said giving up 36 points in a season-opening loss to the Bills wasn’t a reason to get mad but instead should be a catalyst to improve.

“That’s probably the best thing that could have happened to us,” he said. “We got hit in the mouth and now we know how to respond. Now it’s a wake-up call for everybody.”

The Texans look to bounce back from that uncharacteristically poor performance when they host the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. They’re coming off a 33-27 win over Tampa Bay in their opener.

And they know better than to underestimate Houston’s defense, which was among the league’s best last season, despite the lackluster performance on opening weekend.

“They are very fast, very physical,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “Not only are they very talented and well-coached but they play really good together as a unit… (we've) certainly got our work cut out for us. They have elite talent across the board on their defense and it poses a lot of challenges for you.”

Quarterback Joe Burrow was limited in practice Wednesday as he deals with back tightness and “normal game day soreness.” But the three-time Pro Bowler said there’s no way the problem would keep him out against the Texans.

“That’s ridiculous,” Burrow said.

After dealing with Josh Allen last week, the Texans know their defense will have its hands full again in trying to slow down Burrow and the Cincinnati offense. He threw for 254 yards with a touchdown and interception against the Buccaneers.

“The Bengals are a really exceptional offense,” Houston coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Everything starts and goes through the quarterback. Talk about a guy that has exceptional talent, Joe Burrow, he’s one of the best quarterbacks I’ve watched and studied.”

While Houston certainly respects Burrow and his talented offense, Anderson said the key to success this week will be for the Texans to focus on themselves.

“The biggest thing is just going out there and having fun,” he said. “Not overcomplicating football. Not getting too high. Not getting too low. But just playing our brand of ball and having fun doing that.”

Cincinnati (1-0) at Houston (0-1)

When/where to watch: Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS.

Latest odds: Texans by 2½.

Against the spread: Bengals 1-0; Texans 0-1.

Last week: Bengals beat Buccaneers 33-27; Texans lost to Bills 36-31.

Last meeting: Texans beat Bengals 30-27 on Nov. 12, 2023, in Cincinnati.

Series record: Texans lead 9-5.

Cincinnati WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins vs Houston’s secondary. The Texans allowed Allen to throw for 334 yards last week and they’ll be challenged again by Cincinnati’s star-studded offense.

The unit gave up multiple explosive plays against the Bills, including touchdown receptions of 43 and 34 yards.

Higgins had 59 yards receiving last week but Chase, who had 1,412 yards receiving last season, had just two catches for 12 yards. Burrow knows that has to change this week.

“We’ve got to get him involved,” Burrow said. “That sentiment was echoed from a lot of different fronts after the game and can’t come out of a game like that and have Ja’Marr Chase touch the ball two times. So that certainly will be an emphasis.”

— Burrow tied for the league lead in quick completions last week with 20 (throws in under 2.5 seconds). Anderson has 93 QB pressures since the start of last season — second most in the league — with 40 happening in under 2.5 seconds.

— Houston QB C.J. Stroud completed passes to 11 different receivers Sunday.

— Chase needs seven catches to pass former Texans star DeAndre Hopkins (528) for the fourth-most receptions by a player in his first six seasons in NFL history. He had five receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown in his most recent meeting with Houston.

— Houston WR Nico Collins had 75 yards receiving and a touchdown last week to give him at least 50 yards receiving in 10 consecutive regular-season games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL.

— The Bengals lead the NFL in takeaways after recovering four fumbles last week.

— RB David Montgomery had two rushing touchdowns and a scoring reception in the opener to become the first Texan to score three touchdowns in his debut after an offseason trade from Detroit. He had 65 yards rushing an a touchdown in his most recent game against the Bengals last season.

— Cincinnati LB Demetrius Knight Jr. had seven tackles and his first career fumble return for a touchdown on a 27-yard score in the first quarter in Week 1.

AP Sports Writer Joe Reedy contributed to this report.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Houston Texans running back David Montgomery, left, runs the ball into the end zone for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) calls a play in the second half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'marr Chase (1) can't hang onto a pass as he is defended by Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Jacob Parrish (25) in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans applauds from the sidelines during the first half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

ATLANTA (AP) — The NFC South suffered the indignity of having four teams finish with losing records last season and take Week 1 losses to open the 2026 season.

Last week's poor showing makes division matchups, including Carolina's visit to Atlanta on Sunday, especially important.

Though the Panthers finished with the same 8-9 regular-season record as Atlanta and Tampa Bay last season, they swept the two games against the Falcons on their way to winning the division title tiebreaker.

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young says coach Dave Canales has stressed that the best route to the playoffs is winning in the division.

“Coach talks about it all of the time," Young said. ”Our first goal is to win the South. Obviously those division wins mean so much when you’re trying to accomplish that goal. You have the same process for every game — you don’t get too high or too low, but this is a business and we are all players and we understand what is at stake every time there is a division opponent. We know what this game means.”

Atlanta's home opener follows a 20-13 opening loss at Pittsburgh last week. The Falcons were forced to start third-string quarterback Cooper Rush after Tua Tagovailoa suffered an oblique injury in practice and Michael Penix Jr. continued his recovery from a 2025 season-ending left knee injury.

Rush threw two interceptions, including T.J. Watt’s pick-6 in the fourth quarter.

Despite continued uncertainty at quarterback this week, the Falcons' bigger problem may be finding a way to contain Young and the Panthers' passing game. Young set a franchise record by passing for 448 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in Carolina's 30-27 overtime win at Atlanta to sweep the Falcons last season.

“He’s a very smart quarterback,” said Falcons safety Jessie Bates III of Young. "I think they’ve done a lot of really good things to help him bring out his strengths in his game, whether that’s them going to empty or rhythm-type of throws to help them out. I think that he’s definitely become a really high-level quarterback in this league for sure.”

Young's top playmakers are Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker, an undrafted rookie in 2024 who had eight catches for a career-high 138 yards and two touchdowns in last week's 59-37 loss to Chicago.

Carolina (0-1) at Atlanta (0-1)

When/where to watch: Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox

Latest odds: Panthers by 2 1/2.

Against the spread: Panthers 0-1; Falcons 0-1.

Last week: Panthers lost Bears 59-37; Falcons lost to Steelers 20-13.

Last meeting: Panthers beat Falcons 30-27 in overtime in Atlanta on Nov. 16, 2025.

Series record: Falcons lead 37-25.

Panthers run defense vs. Falcons running back Bijan Robinson. The Panthers allowed two Chicago running backs to reach 100 rushing yards in the Bears' 59-37 win last week in Charlotte. Overall, the Bears rushed for 291 yards and six touchdowns and averaged 7.5 yards per carry. Robinson had 21 carries for 83 yards and eight receptions for 90 yards in the Falcons' 20-13 loss at Pittsburgh as the focal point of an offense that had a limited passing game.

— The Panthers and Bears combined to score 96 points in Week 1, making it the highest-scoring season-opening game in NFL history. Unfortunately for the Panthers, they gave up 59 of those points, the most in franchise history.

— Panthers WR Jalen Coker had eight catches for a career-high 138 yards and two touchdowns in the Week 1 shootout with the Bears.

— RB Chuba Hubbard had a touchdown rushing and a touchdown receiving in Week 1 and remains the Panthers top option in the backfield.

— The Panthers defense allowed six touchdowns rushing against the Bears and two TDs in each quarter.

— Young is 4-1 against the Falcons, completing 110 of 165 pass attempts (66.7%) for 1,133 yards and seven touchdowns. He is 10-30 as a starter against the rest of the league.

— With Rush at quarterback, Drake London had only two catches for 29 yards and Kyle Pitts had no catches and only one target against Pittsburgh. London, Atlanta’s go-to wide receiver and Pitts, coming off a productive season at tight end, each received new contracts in the offseason.

— Tagovailoa did not participate in practice Wednesday and Thursday. Cornerback A.J. Terrell (shoulder) was a full participant on Thursday after being held out Wednesday. RG Chris Lindstrom (concussion protocol) was limited on Thursday after being held out Wednesday.

— The Falcons are 21-10 at home in the rivalry.

— The Falcons ranked 31st in passing yards and 30th in total yards following their weak offensive showing in their opener.

AP Sports Writer Steve Reed in Charlotte, N.C., contributed to this report.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Cooper Rush (13) reacts after a sack during an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Justin Berl)

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) runs the ball in for a touchdown during an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Justin Berl)

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) runs in for a touchdown during an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)