Top Takeaways From Cincinnati Bengals' 30-27 Loss to Houston Texans

Cincinnati is 5-4 following Sunday's loss to Houston.

CINCINNATI — The Bengals' fourth quarter rally came up short on Sunday, as they lost to the Texans 30-27 to fall to 5-4 on the season. 

Despite winning four-straight games before Sunday's loss, Cincinnati is in last place in the AFC North after this loss and a 1-3 start to the season. Here are our top takeaways from the game:

Game Changing Drop

Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

Tyler Boyd had a chance to be the savior. Joe Burrow found the veteran for a 64-yard gain that put the Bengals in position for an improbable victory after trailing by 10 with just over three minutes remaining. 

Cincinnati had a 1st-and-goal from the 7-yard line after the big gain. Burrow was sacked on the next play. A failed quarterback draw put them in a tough spot: 3rd-and-goal from the 13-yard line. 

Burrow unleashed a perfect pass over the middle to Boyd, who was wide open in the middle of the end zone. The veteran dropped it and Cincinnati had to settle for a game-tying field goal. The Texans got the ball back with 1:33 remaining, which gave them plenty of time to move the ball into field goal range. 

Boyd's drop is one of the biggest of his career. He had two drops on Sunday. 

With Ja'Marr Chase playing through a back injury and Tee Higgins out with a hamstring injury, the Bengals needed Boyd to play his best. He played well for most of the game, but his end zone drop is one that will stick with him and the fan base, especially if the loss keeps the Bengals from making the playoffs for a third consecutive season. 

To be clear, Boyd's drop isn't the lone reason Cincinnati lost. There are plenty of other takeaways and reasons that we'll cover, but he has to catch that pass, especially in that moment. 

No one knows that more than him. 

Noah Brown Was Always Open

Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

The Bengals' defense was awful on Sunday. They deserve credit for forcing three turnovers. 

They also deserve blame for letting Noah Brown do his best Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson impression while wearing the No. 85 at Paycor Stadium. 

Brown finished with seven catches (eight targets) for 172 yards. He didn't have a reception in the first quarter. He did all of his damage in the final three quarters, which included six receptions of 20 or more yards. 

He hauled in a 22-yard pass that set up the game winning field goal as time expired. Rather than tackling him, the Bengals went for the strip and Brown ran through their arm tackles for another 10 yards. 

That made Matt Ammedola's game winning field goal (38-yards) much more manageable.

Singletary Runs Wild

Devin Singletary ran for 150 yards on 30 carries and one touchdown on Sunday, averaging five yards-per-attempt.

The Bengals got bullied in the trenches. They had no answer for a Houston rushing attack that struggled for most of the season prior to Sunday's game. 

That has to change in a hurry if they're going to slow down the Ravens. Baltimore has one of the best rushing offenses in the NFL. They lead the league with 154.9 rushing yards per game. The Texans are 25th and that's after running for 188 yards against the Bengals on Sunday. 

More Targets for Chase

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Chase might've been dealing with a back issue, but he was moving well throughout the game. He finished with five catches (six targets) for 124 yards and one touchdown. 

There's no way he should've only been targeted six times. The Bengals were trailing for essentially the entire second half. Finding ways to get Chase the ball should've been high on their priority list. They punted on five-straight possessions from the middle of the first quarter through their first possession of the third quarter. 

Chase was targeted twice over that span. 

"Gotta get more consistent," he said after the game. "Offense making plays, like we did in the last three games. Even though Tee (Higgins) was down. I was a little limited, just you know offense gotta step up sometimes and other people gotta make plays too."

Even a "limited" Chase should see 10+ targets with Higgins sidelined. The Texans double teamed him, but we've seen the Bengals find ways to get the 23-year-old involved, despite the extra attention he commands from opposing defenses. 

Sunday's game shouldn't have been any different. 

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