Andy Dalton was 24-of-35 for 233 yards with a touchdown and interception for the Bengals (7-3-1), who snapped a five-game losing streak here, including two playoff losses in which the quarterback threw four interceptions against zero touchdowns. Rookie Jeremy Hill rushed for 87 yards and a TD as Cincinnati kept Houston to 248 yards and 4-of-14 on third downs while converting 11-of-20 of its own.

Ryan Mallett was 21-of-45 for 189 yards and an interception in his second start for the Texans (5-6), whose postseason hopes took a big hit with the loss. Johnathan Joseph accounted for the only Houston touchdown with an interception return as the Texans lost for the fifth time in seven games after a 3-1 start.

Dalton engineered a 94-yard drive on 13 plays and gave the Bengals the early lead with a 6-yard TD pass to Mohamed Sanu, and Cincinnati added a safety after a fourth-and-goal pass from the 1-yard line failed. Rookie Alfred Blue was tackled in the end zone on the first play for a 9-0 lead before the Texans got on the board just before the half when Randy Bullock converted a 36-yard field goal.

A Rey Maualuga interception on the first play of the second half set up a 2-yard TD run by Hill and a seemingly comfortable 16-3 lead, but Joseph stepped in front of Green on a pass in the flat and roamed 60 yards to cut the deficit to seven halfway through the third. Cincinnati's Mike Nugent and Bullock matched field goals before Carlos Dunlap sacked Mallett to end one drive with five minutes left and Nugent connected on a 49-yard field with 1:55 left to ice it.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Green has 19 career 100-yard games - third most in franchise history. ... Mallett, who engineered a season-high 424 yards of offense last week against Cleveland, could only muster 106 in the first half and 248 total. ... Green was one reception shy of the franchise record of 13 set by Carl Pickens on Oct. 11, 1998 against Pittsburgh. … After the 94-yard TD drive in the first, the Bengals drove 79 yards on their next trip, but a fourth-down fade pass from the 1-yard line was caught out of bounds by Green.