The Bengals were 2-14 last season, and finished fourth in the AFC North.
Zac Taylor enters his second year as Cincinnati's head coach.
The two franchises have met 10 times in the regular season. Houston's won six of those meetings, and six of the last seven matchups. In Week 2 of 2017, Deshaun Watson got his first career start, and guided the Texans to a 13-9 victory at Cincinnati on Thursday Night Football. The last time the Bengals were in Houston, the Texans triumphed, 12-10, on Christmas Eve in 2016.
Notable Bengals: QB Joe Burrow, WR A.J. Green, DT Geno Atkinse
Defensive tackle D.J. Reader signed with the Bengals this offseason after spending 2016-19 with the Texans. OG Xavier Su'a-Filo was a Texans offensive lineman from 2014-17. Kicker Randy Bullock was drafted by the Texans in 2012, and spent 2013-15 in Houston. Tight ends coach James Casey played for the Texans from 2009-12.