Chase Brown — Week 2: Twenty Carries, Two Receiving Yards
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 21
Brown carried 20 times for 80 yards with a long of 11, and a 26-yard run to the Houston 19 in the first quarter came back on a holding penalty. He caught 3 of 5 targets for 2 yards, all five thrown behind the line of scrimmage. His 23 touches were the most on either team, and he took 20 of Cincinnati's 22 designed runs, in a 20–6 win over the Texans.
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Nothing to nothing, seven 21 left in the first quarter, first and 10 at the Houston 45. Chase Brown went behind the left guard and was pushed out of bounds at the Houston 19, 26 yards. It came back on a holding penalty. First and 20 instead, and three snaps and one more flag later the Bengals punted from the Houston 45. His two carries just before it had gone five and 10. The longest run that stayed on his line all day was 11.
The line: 20 carries, 80 yards, no touchdown, three first downs, eight of the 20 worth positive expected points, and −3.9 expected points added on the carries in total — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position. The carries went four, five, 10, seven, five, six, five, −4, 11, two, two, five, two, three, eight, five, two, −2, nothing, four. Seven before halftime for 42 yards, 13 after for 38. The 11 came on second and 10 at the Houston 33 with five-oh-six left in the third, to the 22, and two more carries of two yards each set up the third and six that Ja'Marr Chase turned into a touchdown. His last three came from the Houston 41 with three 15 left and a 14-point lead: −2, nothing, and four on third and 12, while Houston spent two timeouts. Both of his third-down carries were third and 12 or longer, and neither converted.
The passing game gave him nothing. Five targets, three catches, two yards, −4.1 expected points, the lowest figure of any Bengal thrown to. All five throws were behind the line of scrimmage by the play-by-play's air yards, all five came before halftime, and the catches went six on third and 11, −1 on third and 26, and −3 on second and five.
Brown took 20 of Cincinnati's 22 designed runs; Samaje Perine had the other two. 23 touches were the most on either team, ahead of Woody Marks's 13 for Houston. 14 of the 22 designed runs came after halftime, against 14 pass plays, as Cincinnati sat on the lead.
Back in June the preview called Brown a top-10 back on a locked three-down role, and said boring was a compliment. Week 1 was 21 touches with five of 16 carries successful. Sunday was 23 touches with eight of 20 in the black, and the receiving half of the role produced two yards. The workload is exactly what the preview described. The efficiency has not shown up in either game, and two games is not long enough to say it will not. Cincinnati is at the Steelers on Sunday the 20-seventh.
_Data via nflverse._
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