J.J. Watt says the Texans turned Andy Dalton into 'The Red Ryder BB Gun' after giving Bengals their first loss of the season

Frank Victores/AP

Andy Dalton was not amused by J.J. Watt's joke.

The Houston Texans gave the Cincinnati Bengals their first loss of the season Monday night in an ugly 10-6 affair.

The Bengals came into the game with the NFL's second-best offense and the top passing attack.

However, the Texans limited Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton to just 197 yards with no touchdowns and an interception.

After the game, J.J. Watt, who finished with a sack and two other hits on Dalton, took a shot at Dalton, whose red hair has earned him the nickname "The Red Rifle." Watt said the Texans' goal was to turn Dalton into the "Red Ryder BB Gun," a toy that was prominently featured in the movie "A Christmas Story."

Watt did say afterward that Dalton is a great quarterback and the Bengals are a great team, but the Texans executed a game plan to limit his effectiveness.

Dalton was not so amused with the joke. In his postgame press conference he chided Watt for the joke.

"I'm disappointed in him because of the integrity of this game," Dalton said. "I have a lot of respect for him. He's a really good player. There are a lot of kids and people who look up to him, and for him to make comments like that, he's just showing that's acceptable to say that kind of stuff."

Dalton continued, "It's disappointing for one of the best players in this league to come out and say something like that, so that's all I'm going to say about that. He's a good player, but for him to be one of the best in this league and to show that integrity, it shows what he's about, and that's disappointing."

Unfortunately for the rest of the NFL world, these two teams don't meet again this season, so we won't get to see Dalton's revenge or Watt's response to Dalton's criticism. In the meantime, the Bengals' hope for an undefeated season is over, and the Texans are now tied for first place in the AFC South.