Watson runs for TD, leads Texans over Bengals 13-9 in debut

 Deshaun Watson showed up in a black tuxedo for his first NFL start. From his snazzy bowtie to his game-turning scramble, he did it all his style.

The rookie ran 49 yards for a touchdown and led the Houston Texans' depleted offense to a late clinching field goal in a 13-9 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night.

"I was just trying to make a play, I found a hole and broke away," he said.

Yes, it was that easy.

Watson showed up in a black tuxedo - it was his 22nd birthday, no less - and showed the flash that helped him lead Clemson to a national title last season. He avoided the rush and ran 49 yards for a 10-3 lead late in the first half, dashing past befuddled defenders.

Some birthday.

"The first start on my birthday was pretty emotional," said Watson, wearing a Texans T-shirt to his postgame media availability.

The Texans (1-1) got the most out of their depleted offense, and then let their defense 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.

The Bengals are the first team since the 1939 Eagles to open a season with two home games and fail to get in the end zone, according to information from the Elias Sports Bureau shared by ESPN.

"I am shocked," coach Marvin Lewis said.

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, but turned it over near midfield on a fourth-down completion. After a punt, they ran one more play with 2 seconds left that didn't get far.

Cincinnati lost to the Ravens 20-0 at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday, the first time in their history that they opened the season blanked at home. Andy Dalton threw four interceptions and lost a fumble.

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. He was 20 of 35 for 224 yards with three sacks.

"Very surprised," receiver A.J. Green said. "We practice well, but when it comes to the game, we're out of character. I don't know what we're doing out there."

Watson directed an offense missing three tight ends because of concussions, along with receiver Will Fuller Vand guard Jeff Allen. The Texans kept it simple, and Watson avoided the game-turning mistake despite heavy pressure from the Bengals.

Watson was 15 of 24 for 125 yards with three sacks and no interceptions. He ran five times for 67 yards. Watson became the first rookie quarterback to win his first start on the road in a prime-time game since the Eagles' Joe Webb in 2010, according to Elias.

The Bengals became the first team that opened the season with five scoreless quarters since the 2009 Rams, who went 1-15.

They thought they finally had a touchdown when Tyler Eifert caught a pass from Dalton in the end zone in the third quarter - the videoboard broke into a touchdown song - but the tight end had stepped out of bounds before making the catch, nullifying it. Cincinnati settled for its third field goal.

STATS

Texans CB Kareem Jackson got his first career sack. ... Watson's TD came on the longest run by a Texan since Arian Foster had a 51-yard run against the Jaguars in 2014. ... The Bengals went 76 minutes, 16 seconds before getting Bullock's field goal for their first points of the season.

OUCH!

On the final play with multiple laterals, Dalton got the ball back and threw it to center Russell Bodine, who was leveled by J.J. Watt to end the game.

"Zig-zag, zig-zag, zig-zag, tired, tired, tired," Watt said, describing the multi-lateral play. "Thank you for throwing it to the guy closest to me - body slam."

WATT'S RETURN: That wasn't Watt's only emphatic play as he got back in form. He returned from a back injury that wiped out most of his 2016 season and managed only one tackle and one quarterback hit during an opening 29-7 loss to the Jaguars. On Thursday, he had six tackles, knocked down one pass and hit Dalton once.

TRADING JERSEYS

Watson and Bengals rookie running back Joe Mixon exchanged jerseys on the field after the game.

INJURIES

The Texans lost two cornerbacks. Johnathan Joseph hurt his right shoulder while making a tackle in the first half and didn't return. Kevin Johnson hurt his left knee in the third quarter and was out. The Texans already were missing LB Brian Cushing. He's in the NFL's concussion protocol and has been suspended 10 games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Bengals: CB Adam "Pacman" Jones returned from his one-game NFL suspension for an offseason conviction and hurt his right elbow in the fourth quarter, but returned and finished the game.

UP NEXT

The Texans play at New England. They're 1-8 against the Patriots, including a 34-16 playoff loss last season.

The Bengals play at Green Bay for the first time since 2009. They've won three straight against the Packers, two of them at Paul Brown Stadium.

Fournette, strong defense lead Jaguars over Texans 29-7

 Leonard Fournette ran for 100 yards and a touchdown in his NFL debut, and Jacksonville had 10 sacks and forced four turnovers to help the Jaguars to a 29-7 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Blake Bortles threw for 125 yards and a touchdown, Calais Campbell had four sacks and Dante Fowler returned a fumble 53 yards for a score as the Jaguars snapped a six-game skid against Houston.

The Texans hoped to provide a boost to the area ravaged by Hurricane Harvey with a win. Instead, Tom Savage struggled behind a porous line and was benched in favor of rookie Deshaun Watson at halftime with Houston down 19-0.

J.J. Watt returned after missing 13 games last season after back surgery, but injured his finger in the first half and finished with just one tackle.

A 42-yard field goal by Jason Myers made it 3-0 in the first quarter and he added one from 25 yards early in the second.

The Texans punted on their first four possessions, and the fifth one ended when Savage fumbled on a sack by Yannick Ngakoue and the Jaguars recovered the ball.

Fournette, who was the fourth overall pick in this year's draft, added his 1-yard touchdown after that, but the kick failed, leaving Jacksonville up 12-0.

Savage was sacked six times in the first half, playing behind a line without veteran left tackle Duane Brown, who is holding out. The Texans were also without receivers Will Fuller, who has a broken collarbone, and Jaelen Strong, who served a one-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.

Ngakoue picked up the last sack of the half, stripping the ball as he pulled Savage down. Fowler scooped it up and dashed for the score to make it 19-0.

When Houston traded up 13 picks to take Watson 12th overall in this year's draft, many assumed he'd be the starter to open the season. But coach Bill O'Brien insisted he'd back up Savage and raved about the progress of the third-year player.

He had seen enough after Houston's offense failed to move the ball for two quarters during which Savage managed just 62 yards passing and lost two fumbles.

The crowd, who had booed Savage for much of the first half, cheered loudly when Watson, who led Clemson to a national title last season, trotted onto the field for the second half.

He didn't waste any time getting going, throwing a 4-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins on his first drive to cut the lead to 19-7 early in the third quarter.

Tommy Bohanon grabbed a 1-yard TD pass from Bortles after that to extend Jacksonville's lead to 26-7.

The Texans coughed it up again late in the third quarter when Watson fumbled on a sack by Fowler and Ngakoue recovered it.

Houston was driving late in the fourth quarter when Watson turned it over again on an interception by Tashaun Gipson, who returned it 67 yards. The Jaguars added a field goal after that to make it 29-7.

INJURIES

Houston linebacker Brian Cushing, tight ends Ryan Griffin and C.J. Fiedorowicz and receiver Bruce Ellington all left the game with concussions. Jaguars receiver Allen Robinson injured his left knee in the first quarter and didn't return.

UP NEXT

Jaguars: Host Tennessee on Sunday.

Texans: Face a quick turnaround with a trip to Cincinnati on Thursday.

Denver gives Osweiler rude welcome in 27-9 win over Houston

Brock Osweiler took one last dig at Denver's fans after Houston's 27-9 loss to the Broncos. He figured they would "be a little bit louder with the boos."

Denver's defenders ruined Osweiler's homecoming by hurrying, hitting and harassing their ex-quarterback Monday night, even if his ears weren't ringing from the crowd noise.

Osweiler famously declared upon signing his $72 million, four-year deal that he chose Houston over Denver because the Texans gave him the better chance to succeed.

"It's not all about money in life," said Broncos cornerbackChris Harris Jr., who recovered one of Osweiler's three fumbles. "He had a great situation, great team here, better receivers to me. So, I think he already knows he made the wrong choice."

Not so, said Osweiler.

"I never live my life looking in the rearview mirror," Osweiler said after a night in which his head was on a constant swivel with the likes of Von Miller, Shane Ray and Derek Wolfe coming after him.

Coach Gary Kubiak returned to the sideline following his second health scare in three years, and he liked what he saw as the Broncos (5-2) snapped a two-game skid in sending Osweiler and the rest of the overwhelmed Texans home at 4-3.

C.J. Anderson and Devontae Booker energized Denver's sputtering ground game, both running for a touchdown. Anderson gained 107 yards on 16 carries and Booker had 83 on 17 hand-offs.

But the big story was Trevor Siemian, Peyton Manning's surprise successor, outplaying Osweiler, who was groomed to be Denver's next QB for the last four years.

Osweiler left for bigger numbers in Texas - both in his bank account and his stat sheet - but he spent the whole game quickly getting rid of the ball, constantly overthrowing DeAndre Hopkins in double coverage and otherwise running for his life from Miller & Co.

Miller wore a "REVENGE" hoodie to his postgame interview, but he said it was a shoutout to Drake, who wore Miller's No. 58 jersey at a recent concert in Colorado.

"Me and Brock, we're good. I love the guy. I wish him the best," Miller said.

Osweiler was just 22 for 41 for 131 yards with no TDs and no interceptions. Siemian was 14 of 25 for 157 yards, a TD and no interceptions.

Osweiler also lost a fumble at his own 25-yard line. It was scooped up by Harris on the first play of the fourth quarter and led to Brandon McManus' chip-shot field goal that made it 24-9.

Of the dozen passes thrown his way, Hopkins caught just five of them, covering 36 yards, and no other Texan gained more. And Houston was limited to Nick Novak's field goals from 43, 43 and 39 yards.

Anderson scored on a 7-yard run and Siemian hit Demaryius Thomas from 4 yards out as the Broncos took a 14-6 halftime lead.

Novak's 29-yarder made it 14-9, but Darian Stewart punched the ball from running back Alfred Blue's grasp and linebacker Todd Davis plucked it out of the air . That led to Booker's 1-yard TD run .

Kubiak, who suffered a mini-stroke while coaching the Texans in 2013, missed Denver's last game after suffering a complex migraine, which can mimic a stroke.

Like Osweiler, this was his first game against his former team, and cornerback Aqib Talib gave him a game ball afterward.

"Coaches get game balls when players play good, I can tell you that," Kubiak said.

Osweiler, who skipped out on the Broncos' White House trip and ring ceremony, embraced Siemian, Kubiak and several other Broncos after the game.

"It was really great to see some familiar faces and give those guys a hug," he said.

STREAK BREAKER: Denver's dazzling defense is a real dawdler , having allowed scores on five of six opening drives coming into the game. That didn't stop them from deferring when they won the toss. The Texans went three and out on their first two possessions. "It was a big emphasis for us," Miller said.

OH NO, OKUNG: Broncos left tackle Russell Okung cleared concussion protocol to make the start. But he was rusty a week after his pair of penalties resulted in a nullified touchdown and a safety in a 21-13 loss at San Diego. This time, he was whistled for a pair of holds that negated a nifty first-down run by Booker and a 28-yard grab by Thomas.

INJURIES : Texans right tackle Derek Newton was carted off the field with what looked like serious injuries to both knees in the first half. He crumpled to the grass while blocking Miller. Newton was dropping back to pass block midway through the first quarter when his left knee buckled first and then his right knee gave way. For Denver, linebackers Brandon Marshall (leg) and Dekoda Watson (head) left in the second half.

Brock Osweiler rallies Texans to 26-23 OT victory over Colts

 After three lackluster quarters by the Houston Texans on Sunday night, a good chunk of the home crowd headed out early.

Tough luck for them.

Nick Novak made a 33-yard field goal in overtime to give Houston a 26-23 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Houston became the first NFL team to rally from a 14-point deficit in the final 3 minutes since the Tim Tebow-led Broncos did it in 2011 against the Dolphins.

Brock Osweiler threw a 36-yard pass to Jaelen Strong to get Houston to the 12 and Novak's field goal came two plays later.

"I think a lot of fans tonight missed a terrific performance in the third, fourth quarter by a team," Osweiler said. "Nothing was perfect early on, I understand why fans were frustrated but I hope they learned tonight that this team is never going to quit fighting."

Indianapolis (2-4) got the ball first in overtime, but Benardrick McKinney sacked Andrew Luck on third down to force a punt.

Osweiler shook off a tough start to throw two touchdown passes in less than 2 minutes in the fourth quarter as Houston (4-2) tied it at 23 with 54 seconds left. He found Lamar Miller on a 10-yard catch-and-run TD with 2:47 remaining and, after a stop by the defense, connected with C.J. Fiedorowicz on a 26-yarder that tied it.

"When you have them down and have a 14-point lead late in the fourth quarter, you've got to be able to close games out," Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. "We did not do that today."

Houston's defense forced a punt by Indianapolis to send it to OT.

"Everybody stood together and everybody did their job and made plays and (was) trying to get the ball back to the offense," Jadeveon Clowney said.

Luck had a 22-yard touchdown throw in the first quarter and pushed the lead to 20-9 when he dashed into the end zone untouched on a 14-yard run early in the fourth.

Miller scored his first touchdown as a Texan on a 1-yard run on Houston's first drive of the second half, but the extra point failed to leave the Texans down 13-9.

The Texans stopped the Colts on fourth down after that, but Osweiler's pass was intercepted two plays later. Luck's TD run came on the next drive.

The Colts led 13-0 in the second quarter after two field goals by Adam Vinatieri and a touchdown catch byJack Doyle. Osweiler and Houston's offense struggled to get going early and Osweiler had negative-9 yards passing in the first quarter. The Texans cut it to 13-3 before halftime on Novak's 27-yard field goal.

MILLER'S TIME: Miller finished with a season-high 149 yards rushing and added 29 yards receiving.

"We felt like he was the guy throughout the game that was probably playing the best on offense so at halftime we said, `Look, we've got to keep finding ways to get this guy the ball,'" coach Bill O'Brien said.

CENTURY MARK: Indianapolis' Frank Gore had 22 carries for 106 yards to end the NFL's longest active streak of consecutive games by a team without a 100-yard rusher at 55. The last Colt to have 100 yards rushing was Vick Ballard in 2012.

RECORD CHASE: Vinatieri made three field goals on Sunday night to extend his streak to 41 in a row and leave him one away from tying the NFL record set by Mike Vanderjagt from 2002-04. Vinatieri made field goals of 41, 37 and 36 yards on Sunday night.

"I wish one of those points would have been the difference in the outcome of the game," he said.

FULLER OUT: Houston rookie receiver Will Fuller was active but did not play on Sunday night because of a hamstring injury. He leads all rookies with 327 yards receiving.

UP NEXT

Colts: Visit Titans next Sunday.

Texans: Visit Denver on Oct. 24.

Vikings stay unbeaten with easy 31-13 victory over Texans

 The Minnesota Vikings followed their winning formula again to precision and maintained the NFC's only perfect record.

Adam Thielen caught a touchdown pass to cap Minnesota's opening drive and finished with a career-high 127 yards, and the Vikings defense flustered Brock Osweiler and the Houston Texans on their way to a 31-13 victory on Sunday.

"When your offense comes out on all cylinders like that, it just juices us up even more and wants us to play harder," defensive end Everson Griffen said. "We've just got to keep doing that."

Marcus Sherels returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown and Cordarelle Patterson scored on another sharp throw bySam Bradford, who deftly guided the offense to a fifth straight turnover-free game in his fourth start for the Vikings (5-0).

"You play from ahead and give our defense a chance to get after the passer," Bradford said, "I think it's pretty tough on the other team."

Brock Osweiler was overmatched by Minnesota's relentless pass rush and coverage, finishing 19 for 42 for 184 yards, one interception and a late touchdown pass toDeAndre Hopkins while taking four sacks. The Texans (3-2) were denied on 12 of 13 third downs, unable or unwilling to do much other than dump off short passes. Lamar Miller only had eight carries for 20 yards during a dud of a performance by the Texans that felt a lot like the 27-0 loss at New England two weeks ago.

"It was bad. It was bad," coach Bill O'Brien said. "It starts and ends with me. I've got to do a much better job with this football team."

With leading receiver Stefon Diggs out for the game with a groin injury, Thielen (career-high seven catches),Jarius Wright and Patterson capably stepped up for the Vikings. Whitney Mercilus had 1 1/2 sacks as Houston took advantage of a banged-up offensive line to apply plenty of pressure on Bradford, but with touchdowns on their first two drives the Vikings were in cruise control as they eagerly unleashed their defense again on another out-of-sync quarterback.

"I knew we had a great challenge ahead of us, but I felt confident in what we could do," Osweiler said. "So I'm very disappointed."

LESS OF FULLER

Texans rookie Will Fuller wasn't targeted until the first play of the second half and had only one catch, a head-scratching fourth-and-16 call in the third quarter at the Vikings 39 that netted 4 yards on a screen play. Fuller had seven catches for 81 yards and a touchdown last week in the win over Tennessee.

SHERELS' SHOW

Like Thielen in 2013, Sherels went undrafted in 2010 and had to make the team through the rookie tryout camp. This was his fifth career punt return touchdown.

"Everybody loves Marcus," coach Mike Zimmer said, "because he does anything you ask him to do."

RHODES (MOSTLY) CLOSED

After stifling Odell Beckham Jr. on Monday night in the win over the New York Giants, Minnesota cornerbackXavier Rhodes hounded Hopkins. Rhodes was called for pass interference (34 yards) and holding (5 yards) to give the Texans their first two first downs during a second quarter drive that yielded a field goal, but Hopkins was held without a catch in the decisive first half. Hopkins finished with 56 yards on five receptions after the Texans went into catch-up mode.

INJURY REPORT

Texans: SS Quinitin Demps (calf) and CB Johnathan Joseph (concussion) both left with injuries in the second quarter, removing two more starters from a secondary already without CB Kareem Jackson (hamstring). ... In the third quarter, LG Jeff Allen left with a concussion and backup TE Ryan Griffin hurt his neck making an awkward tackle following Andrew Sendejo's interception. Backup LB Brian Peters (quadriceps) was also hurt. He surprisingly handled kickoffs rather than Nick Novak, who made two of three field goals.

Vikings: RG Brandon Fusco (concussion) was forced out on the first drive of the game, replaced by Zac Kerinand leaving the OL without three starters. With Rhett Ellison and David Morgan already inactive with knee injuries, a third TE went down when MyCole Pruitt hurt his knee in the third quarter. ... Patterson hurt his hip in the second quarter and stopped returning kickoffs but was back on offense for the TD, his first from scrimmage since Oct. 19, 2014.

UP NEXT

Texans: Host Indianapolis next Sunday night.

Vikings: Take a well-timed bye week, before playing at Philadelphia on Oct. 23.

Fuller's punt return TD lifts Texans over Titans 27-20

 Will Fuller had never returned a punt for a touchdown at any level entering Sunday's game.

Moments after he grabbed the first return of his NFL career he knew that was about to change.

"It was wide open," Fuller said. "It was probably one of the easiest touchdowns I've scored."

Fuller had a tiebreaking 67-yard punt return for a touchdown and the Houston Texans earned a 27-20 win over the Tennessee Titans in their first game without J.J. Watt.

It was the first time Houston (3-1) had played without its star defensive end since the 2010 season after Watt , who is out for the season after back surgery, had started 83 straight games since being drafted in 2011.

Fuller also had 81 yards receiving and a touchdown.

Tennessee (1-3) was driving with less than two minutes remaining, but Marcus Mariota's pass to former TexanAndre Johnson on fourth down was broken up to secure the victory.

The Texans squandered an early 14-point lead and their offense was struggling in the second half when Fuller took the punt back for a touchdown to make it 27-20 late in the third quarter.

"That gave us a real shot in the arm," coach Bill O'Brien said.

Fuller, who ran a 4.32 40-yard dash at the combine, took the punt and quickly made a trio of Titans miss before outrunning everyone else down the sideline for the score.

The 21st overall pick in this year's draft was so far ahead of any defenders that he slowed down Usain Bolt-style near the 5-yard line and trotted into the end zone.

"Once I got past everybody I knew it was a touchdown," Fuller said. "So I didn't want run to the back of the end zone and look crazy."

It was Houston's first punt return for a touchdown since 2013 and he became the first player in franchise history to have a TD reception and a punt return for a score in the same game. Fuller's 5-yard touchdown reception made it 14-0 in the first.

The Titans' game plan was to shut down receiver DeAndre Hopkins, and they did that, limiting him to just one catch for 4 yards. But putting so much emphasis on him left Fuller open to make plays.

"You can take one away; you can't take two away," coach Mike Mularkey said.

Fuller's return came after Jadeveon Clowney led a defensive stand following Brock Osweiler's second interception of the game.

Clowney, the top overall pick in 2014, sacked Mariota for a 6-yard loss on first down and chased down Delanie Walker after a reception on third down to force a punt.

The Texans raced out to a 14-0 lead after touchdown passes by Osweiler on their first two possessions.

The teams exchanged field goals before two touchdown runs by DeMarco Murray tied it at 17-17. But the Texans added a field goal to lead 20-17 at halftime.

MURRAY'S FIRST HALF: Sunday was the first time since 2013 against the Raiders that Murray had two rushing touchdowns before halftime. He had 12 carries for 56 yards before the break and finished with 95 yards rushing.

THEY SAID IT: Mariota on the struggles of the offense in the second half: "We just weren't able to finish. We would get a first down here, a first down there, and, unfortunately, whether it was a penalty or miscommunication, just not executing. We just weren't able to do our jobs."

CUSHING RETURNS: Houston middle linebacker Brian Cushing returned after sitting out the past two games after injuring his knee in the season opener. He finished with four tackles. He was happy to be back so soon after he was initially expected to be out five or six weeks.

"I didn't want to be out that long and (we) really cut the time down big time," he said. "I was just really excited to be back out there."

INJURY REPORT: Tennessee DL Al Woods pulled a calf muscle and Mularkey said he'll be out at least four weeks. ... Houston TE C.J. Fiedorowicz injured his knee early on Sunday, but returned in the second half and said he was OK.

UP NEXT: Titans : Visit the Dolphins on Sunday.

Texans : Visit the Vikings on Sunday.

Rookie Brissett, Blount lead Patriots past Texans 27-0

Another week, another new quarterback, another win for the New England Patriots.

Jacoby Brissett had a 27-yard touchdown run in his first NFL start,LeGarrette Blount added scoring runs of 1 and 41 yards , and the Patriots beat the Houston Texans 27-0 on Thursday night.

It was the Patriots' first shutout win since 2012 and the first time the Texans have been shutout since 2003.

Brissett began the season as the third-string quarterback behind Tom Brady, the franchise cornerstone who is serving a four-game suspension for his role in "Deflategate," and Jimmy Garoppolo - inactive after injuring his right shoulder last week against Miami. Brissett's start on Thursday was the first time that New England had started a rookie quarterback since Drew Bledsoe in 1993.

The Texans (2-1) entered the game with the NFL's third-ranked defense and nine sacks through two games, but they struggled to put pressure on the 23-year-old quarterback.

Brissett was steady throughout, moving the chains on offense with a diet of short passes and scrambles. The Patriots (3-0) also mixed in lots of pre-snap motion and shifts that helped create both throwing and running lanes for Brissett. He finished the night 11 of 19 for 103 yards, and ran eight times for 48 yards.

Houston didn't help itself on special teams either, turning the ball over twice on fumbled kickoff returns. Houston quarterback Brock Osweiler was 24 for 41 for 196 yards and was sacked twice. He also had a promising drive in the second quarter thwarted by Jamie Collins' interception . The Texans had a chance to get on the board just before halftime, but that drive stalled at midfield.

Lamar Miller rushed 22 times for 84 yards.

QUOTABLE:

Brissett on his first NFL touchdown: "It was crazy. It was awesome. Definitely great to see all the players just run up to you. I got a headache from all the head bobbing and head bumping. But it was definitely worth it."

Osweiler on the loss: "I felt like we had a great week of preparation, very focused. The game plan was solid and we worked hard. So this is hard to take. But the bottom line is that New England had a great game plan. They deserve all the credit. But we'll bounce back from this one."

BLOUNT FORCE: Blount ran 24 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns, including the 41-yarder in the fourth quarter to give New England a 27-0 lead. It's the third time in his career he has had back-to-back 100-yard games, and the first time since 2011. Blount also had a 1-yard TD run in the third quarter.

GRONK RETURNS: Tight end Rob Gronkowski made his season debut after sitting out the first two weeks with a hamstring injury he sustained during training camp. Gronk was used sparingly and mainly as a blocker, appearing in just 14 snaps, and three in the second half.

RUNNING QBS: Brissett's 27-yard touchdown run was the longest for a Patriots quarterback since Steve Grogan went 41 yards for a score in 1976. The longest run of Tom Brady's career is 22 yards.

"I was just running until I got stopped," Brissett said. "It worked out how we planned it was going to work out. The guys up front did a great job. And Malcolm on that side did a great job blocking that guy."

CHALLENGE: The Patriots' first touchdown was set up by a successful coach's challenge by Bill Belichick. After Stephen Gostkowski's 24-yard field goal put New England up 3-0, Houston's Charles James fielded the ensuing kickoff from just inside the end zone. James ran it out, and was tripped up at the 17. But the ball squirted out on a hit by Brandon Bolden. Duron Harmon recovered for the Patriots, but James ruled down on the field. Belichick challenged, and the call was reversed.

STREAK ENDS: The Texans entered Thursday having not allowed touchdown in six consecutive quarters. That streak ended in the first quarter with Brissett's 27-yard touchdown run.

INJURIES: Houston tight end Stephen Anderson left the game in the third quarter with a hamstring injury and did not return.

MOVING ON UP: Belichick tied Curly Lambeau for fourth place on the regular-season wins list with 226. He is now only behind Tom Landry (250), George Halas (318) and Don Shula (328).

Novak makes 4 field goals, helps Texans beat Chiefs 19-12

DeAndre Hopkins got Houston going early and defense and special teams did the rest in a 19-12 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

Hopkins had 113 yards receiving and a touchdown and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to help the Texans to the victory .

Novak connected from 32, 24, 31 and 43 yards for the Texans.

Cairo Santos made three field goals in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 19-12, but Houston recovered the onside kick with less than a minute left to seal the victory.

The Texans (2-0) showed that they are a much different team than the one that was embarrassed in a 30-0 wild-card playoff loss to the Chiefs (1-1) in January, when quarterback Brian Hoyer had five turnovers.

New quarterback Brock Osweiler did throw two interceptions but the Chiefs had more trouble taking care of the ball, with Houston's defense setting a franchise record by recovering three fumbles in the first half.

"Our defense really stood up there and when they had to in critical situations played well," coach Bill O'Brien said.

The first came when a high snap sailed over Alex Smith's head. J.J. Watt shoved him out of the way with one hand and pounced on it, showing he was getting back to his old self after July back surgery.

Osweiler, who finished with 268 yards passing, connected with Hopkins on a 27-yard touchdown pass on the next play to make it 7-0.

"When your defense makes a big play or your special teams make a big play, on offense you need to take that momentum and finish with a touchdown," Osweiler said. "That's exactly what took place in that moment."

Watt continued to shine later in the first quarter when he took Smith down for his first sack this season, forcing the Chiefs to kick a field goal that made it 7-3.

Houston was leading by seven in the second quarter when Spencer Ware fumbled, Kevin Johnson scooped it up for his first career recovery and returned it 52 yards. The Texans couldn't get their offense going after that and settled for a 24-yard field goal to make it 13-3.

John Simon forced the last fumble of the half on his strip-sack of Smith. It was recovered by Whitney Mercilus. But once again Houston failed to move the ball and Novak's try for a 57-yard field goal fell short as time expired in the first half.

"We had way too many mistakes today," coach Andy Reid said. "Too many penalties. Dropped balls. You name it. Turnovers, we had three turnovers. All these things led to points. That's my responsibility."

Marcus Peters intercepted Osweiler at the goal line on Houston's first possession and picked him off again late in the third quarter.

That led to a 43-yard field goal that cut the lead to 13-6.

A field goal by both teams after that left the Texans up 16-9.

FULLER FLOURISHES

Houston rookie receiver Will Fuller finished with four receptions for 104 yards to become the first rookie in franchise history with consecutive 100-yard receiving games to start his career. The 21st overall pick in this year's draft had 107 yards receiving in his NFL debut last week.

INJURY REPORT

Houston rookie WR Braxton Miller injured his hamstring in the first half and did not return. He doesn't think the injury is serious, but will have an MRI on Monday.

ELITE COMPANY

Watt finished with 1.5 sacks on Sunday to give him 76 in his 82nd career game. He's the second fastest in NFL history to reach 75 sacks behind Hall of Famer Reggie White who did it in 65 games.

NO, NO, NO

Peters learned that wagging your finger in the face of an opponent like NBA Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo did after blocking a shot is frowned upon on the NFL.

Peters forced an incompletion on a deep ball thrown to Fuller in the second quarter and wagged his finger at him for several seconds. The move earned him a 15-yard penalty for taunting and a warning that a second such penalty would result in an ejection.

"He's competing against a guy and made a nice play on the ball." Reid said. "But you can't wag your finger - they're going to get you."

SPREADING THE WEALTH

Hopkins and Fuller gave Houston two players with at least 100 yards receiving for the eighth time in franchise history and the first time since 2013.

BRING IT BACK

Kansas City rookie Tyreek Hill had a 105-yard kickoff return for a touchdown negated because of a holding penalty late in the fourth quarter.

UP NEXT

Kansas City hosts the Jets next Sunday.

Houston travels to meet New England on Thursday night.