By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Wide receiver Michael Westbrook was the least surprised of any person around the Bengals by his two-touchdown performance Sunday at Houston.

"It really wasn't a big game, two catches (and) two touchdowns," he said Monday, the day after the Bengals' 38-3 victory over the expansion Texans. "It would have been more satisfying if I had helped. I felt like I cheated some guys who drive the ball all the way down and I got the touchdown."

The receptions were Westbrook's first two for touchdowns with the Bengals, and just his fifth and sixth overall.

He is finally healthy after breaking a bone in his wrist at the start of training camp.

"There's a lot more to come," Westbrook said. "I'm healthy. I have a lot to show. People can say what they want to say, but just go pick up any tape of when I'm healthy. And that's all I've ever done."

HAVE A BALL: Bengals coach Dick LeBeau handed out 11 game balls after the win Sunday at Houston.

On offense, wide receivers Westbrook and Peter Warrick, right tackle Willie Anderson, quarterback Jon Kitna and running backs Corey Dillon and Lorenzo Neal were recipients.

On defense, end Justin Smith, linebackers Canute Curtis and Takeo Spikes and cornerback Artrell Hawkins received game balls.

Ron Dugans was the special teams recipient.

"The game balls were hard to give out for this one, because everybody played so hard and really well," LeBeau said.

STAT CHECK: The Bengals helped themselves considerably statistically with their performance against the Texans.

The Bengals are no longer the NFL's lowest scoring team, thanks to the 38-point outburst. The Bengals are tied for 28th in scoring, averaging 14.1 points a game. They are tied with the Giants and ahead of Carolina, Houston and Dallas.

The defense also improved its points-allowed ranking, moving from 30.1 (31st) to a tie for 27th (26.8).

The offense also moved up from the 29th overall ranking to 25th.

PRESIDENTIAL: Bengals president Mike Brown is encouraged by the offense because of its second consecutive productive game.

The Bengals have scored 68 of their 113 points against Tennessee and Houston, games in which Kitna has completed 78 percent of his passes for six touchdowns and no interceptions.

Kitna's passer rating has climbed to 82.3.

"Jon Kitna was a good quarterback," Brown said when asked for his reflections on Sunday's game. "You can't be much better. That is the single most encouraging thing."

Brown also liked the "big plays" from Westbrook, the "Florida State-like plays out of Peter Warrick" and the fact that "the young tight end (Matt) Schobel is showing up."

INJURY UPDATE: Cornerback Jeff Burris, who played sparingly at Houston because of a hamstring injury, was upgraded to probable for the game Sunday against the Ravens at Baltimore.