- Tampa Bay used a late drive to improve to 2-0 in its bid to win another NFC South title.
- The Texans, winners of the past two AFC South crowns, fell two games behind the upstart Colts.
- Bucs rookie Emeka Egbuka had another big night.
Frenetic start. Frenetic finish. In between, a fairly boring Monday night game eventually won by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who defeated the Houston Texans 20-19.
A matchup of 2024 division winners wasn’t nearly as exciting as their shootout from two years ago – both clubs finished in first place in 2023, too – won 39-37 by the Texans. But Monday ended with a flurry, Bucs QB Baker Mayfield orchestrating an 11-play, 80-yard TD drive in the closing minutes that provided the final margin while snapping Tampa Bay’s five-game losing streak to Houston.
While the 2-0 Buccaneers are headed in the right direction to capture a fifth straight NFC South crown, the winless Texans find themselves in a significant early hole.
But winners and losers from Monday night’s opener of a two-game act run deeper than that …
WINNERS
Todd Bowles
Four seasons, four consecutive 2-0 starts for the Bucs unassuming HC.
Emeka Egbuka
After finding the end zone twice in his NFL debut a week ago, the Bucs’ first-round wideout scored again Monday on a 15-yard catch-and-run hookup with Mayfield. Better, Egbuka’s drop late in the game didn’t lead to a soul-crushing loss after Tampa Bay lost the lead with 2:10 to go.
Charlie Heck
The Bucs’ reserve tackle got away with a fairly blatant trip that sprung Egbuka for the go-ahead TD. If you ain’t cheatin’ etc. etc.
Danielle Hunter
Now in his 11th NFL season, the Houston pass rusher’s sack of Mayfield gave him more than 100 for his career and made him only the seventh active player to reach that plateau.
Indianapolis Colts
Their stunning 2-0 start looks even better in light of the Texans’ early season hole.
Lavonte David
The veteran linebacker, who’s going to have solid Hall of Fame credential when he retires, became the first player in Tampa Bay history to start 200 games Monday night.
Native Texans
Mayfield and WR Mike Evans are among the Lone Star State sons playing for the Bucs who enjoyed a happy homecoming. Mayfield threw two more TD passes Monday, giving him 46 since the start of last season – more than any player save Lamar Jackson (47). His 15-yard scramble on fourth-and-10 on Tampa Bay’s final drive effectively saved the game. Evans caught five passes for a game-high 56 yards.
LOSERS
Houston Texans
They’re 0-2 and looking up at the Colts. The offense managed only 266 yards and 12 first downs, while the defense couldn’t keep the Bucs out of the end zone in the final two-plus minutes. Plenty to work on here – though it must be noted Houston was also 0-2 in 2023, the club’s first season with coach DeMeco Ryans and QB C.J. Stroud.
Lavonte David
If the Bucs’ longtime defensive leader doesn’t turn into Mr. Butterfingers in the fourth quarter, Houston’s late-game surge might have never transpired.
Bucs’ injured list
Heck was in because starting RT Luke Goedeke, who recently signed a four-year extension, left the game in the first quarter with a foot injury. (LT Tristan Wirfs has yet to play this season after undergoing knee surgery in July, though his return does appear to be drawing close.) Tampa Bay also lost DL Calijah Kancey in the first half to a pectoral injury. For a team that’s also still without WR Chris Godwin, the medical issues are piling up fast.
Tampa Bay special teams
Tampa Bay K Chase McLaughlin is one of many experiencing early season struggles. His 38-yard field-goal try in the third quarter drilled the upright but didn’t go through − only the second miss inside 40 yards of the seventh-year vet’s career. (McLaughlin also missed a 44-yarder in Week 1.) In the fourth quarter, Riley Dixon had a punt blocked, a sequence Houston turned into a field goal. Next, the Bucs gave up a 53-yard punt return to rookie Jaylin Noel that set up the go-ahead TD run by Nick Chubb. For good measure Tampa Bay held on the ensuing kickoff, nullifying its own return.