By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Texans rookie quarterback David Carr has thrown seven touchdown passes in seven games this season. The Associated Press

Rookie David Carr has a strong arm, and he's not afraid to use it.

In his first seven games with the expansion Houston Texans, Carr has completed a pass of 81 yards and touchdowns of 65, 37, 29, 26, 23 and 19 yards.

The Bengals have allowed 15 TD passes this year, and they have to guard against giving up quick scores through the air today.

Carr has seven touchdown passes in all, and his favorite target has been wide receiver Corey Bradford.

Bradford, who played for Green Bay for four seasons, leads Houston with 21 receptions for 444 yards and five touchdowns. His 21.1-yard average leads NFL wide receivers.

Last week, the Bengals gave up touchdown passes of 39, 32 and 16 yards to the Tennessee Titans, upping the total of touchdown passes allowed to 15 in seven games.

"They have got a lot of big plays and they are all over the video," Bengals coach Dick LeBeau said. "They're capable of throwing the ball and throwing it well."

The Bengals will need a solid game from cornerback Artrell Hawkins, especially if the other starting corner, Jeff Burris, is limited with a hamstring injury.

The Texans' offense ranks first in the NFL in receiving average with 13.5 yards a catch. And Carr has not thrown an interception since the third quarter Sept.29 at Philadelphia, a string of 89 consecutive attempts.

TRICK OR TREAT: Even though Halloween was three days ago, the Bengals had better watch out for trick plays from Houston.

The Texans are 3-for-3 in the trick-play department the past three games:

Running back James Allen completed a 5-yard touchdown to Billy Miller against the Buffalo Bills.

Wide receiver Jabar Gaffney connected with Bradford for a 39-yard touchdown against the Cleveland Browns.

And Gaffney made a lateral throw to Aaron Glenn on a fourth-quarter punt for a 47-yard return that set up Kris Brown's winning field goal last week at Jacksonville.

"I think probably every team in the league goes into a game with some trick plays," Houston coach Dom Capers said. "When we've struggled at times, you tend to go to those quicker because you're trying to look for something to give you a spark."

PLAY WITH FIRE: With all of the talking and predictions of a victory by the Bengals, the Texans figure to start the game fast.

The Bengals had better be ready for Houston to try to jump on them with a quick score or big play on defense or special teams.

The Bengals have fallen behind by 20 or more points in five of their seven games and have been outscored 129-31 in the first half.

Houston won't let up if it gets a lead today.

LeBeau took a calculated risk by promising a victory to motivate his players. The ploy could blow up on him if his team starts slowly.

E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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