DJ Bien-Aime
Jenna Laine
Jenna Laine
ESPN Staff Writer
Jenna Laine covers the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for ESPN. She started covering the Bucs for ESPN in 2016, but she has covered the team since 2009. Jenna is a former cheerleader at the University of South Florida and speaks to the consistency of the program as being one of the top best in the nation.
HOUSTON — For the second straight week, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield engineered a game-winning touchdown drive with two minutes to go, delivering on his vow for “more wins” in 2025 as the Bucs beat the Houston Texans 20-19 on Monday.
With 1:32 left in the game, Mayfield was flushed from the pocket and could not connect with rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka on third-and-10. On fourth down and the game on the line, Mayfield scrambled to pick up the first down.
Then, after five straight completions — including running back Bucky Irving taking two short passes 22 and 18 yards, respectively — running back Rachaad White ran 2 yards up the middle for the winning score.
The Texans needed their defense to come up with a stop after taking a 19-14 lead with 2:10 left in the game after Nick Chubb punched in a 25-yard run, but Mayfield got his first prime-time win in the regular season with the Buccaneers. Before Monday, Mayfield had gone 0-6 during the regular season with the Bucs in prime time.
Here are the most important things to know from Monday night for both teams:
QB performance: Already playing without All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs, the Bucs lost starting right tackle Luke Goedeke in the first quarter because of a foot injury. Despite that, and facing two of the best pass rushers in the league, Mayfield looked sharp, often taking the easier completion — which he didn’t do last week. He completed 25 of 38 passes for 215 yards and touchdowns to Egbuka and Ryan Miller. Mayfield got a much bigger boost from the ground game this week, too, as Irving rushed for 71 yards and White added 65.
Surprising trend: For the second straight week, the Bucs’ defense surrendered an explosive touchdown on the opening drive. Last week, it was a 50-yard touchdown from running back Bijan Robinson with inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis in coverage. This week, it was a 29-yard touchdown from wide receiver Nico Collins with Zyon McCollum in coverage — each time putting the Bucs in a 7-0 hole before they played a down of offense.
Pivotal point: First, Mayfield lost a fumble on a third-and-3 scramble that resulted in Rachaad White recovering it. Mayfield left the game because of an injury (he would return), and the Bucs were forced to punt. Then, Texans fullback Jakob Johnson blocked Riley Dixon’s punt, with former Bucs wide receiver Justin Watson making the recovery to set up a 53-yard field goal by the Texans. Then, after a 53-yard punt return from Texans wide receiver Jaylin Noel, in which he took it to the Tampa Bay 26, the Texans grabbed the lead on Chubb’s touchdown run with 2:10 left.
Troubling trend: One week after missing wide right on a 44-yard field goal attempt and not converting an extra point at the Atlanta Falcons, kicker Chase McLaughlin missed a 38-yard field goal attempt in Houston. McLaughlin went 30-of-32 (93.8%) on field goal attempts last season — tied for seventh best in the league — but he has matched his total number of misses from last season. — Jenna Laine
Next game: vs. New York Jets (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)
The Texans’ defense played well enough to win, holding the Buccaneers to 360 total yards, but the offense didn’t score enough. However, when it mattered most, Houston’s defense failed to close out the game.
It’s hard to blame the defense when Houston’s offense struggled — totaling 266 yards, only one more than Week 1. The offense scored two touchdowns, so that’s progress from Week 1 when the unit had only three field goals. But the touchdown was aided by a short field after Noel’s huge kick return. The Texans’ special teams made plays, the defense sacked Mayfield four times, but the offense couldn’t get it going most of the night.
QB performance: Even though the raw stats look fine, quarterback C.J. Stroud didn’t play up to his standards. Too many times, he looked indecisive and had some uncharacteristically inaccurate throws — finishing 13-of-24 passing for 207 yards. Even when the Texans drove to the 1-yard line early in the fourth quarter, he had two incompletions, including on fourth down.
Trend to watch: The Texans’ run defense struggled, as the Buccaneers totaled 169 rush yards and 5.6 yards per carry. In Week 1, Houston limited Los Angeles Rams Pro Bowl running back Kyren Williams to 66 yards on 18 carries. It’s not alarming, but it’s something to watch as the Texans head to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars, who lead the NFL in rushing yards per game (169).
Troubling trend: The Texans’ pass protection wasn’t up to par. Stroud had to scramble to survive the pressure too many times and was sacked three times, just like in Week 1 — when he was pressured on 42% of his dropbacks. If the Texans don’t address those problems, it could be another season of Stroud being among the most hit quarterbacks in the NFL. — D.J. Bien-Aime
Next game: at Jacksonville Jaguars (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)
