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Up to date 17s in the past
Baker Mayfield leads the Buccaneers into Houston for a conflict with C.J. Stroud and the Texans for an early-season check between two playoff contenders
The reigning NFC South champion Buccaneers look to maneuver to 2-0 after squeaking by the Falcons in Week 1, whereas the Texans hope to rebound from an unpleasant offensive efficiency of their opener in opposition to the Rams.
Observe under for perception and evaluation from The Athletic’s staff of NFL reporters.
Since Todd Bowles took over as Buccaneers head coach in 2022, Tampa Bay is undefeated in Weeks 1 and a couple of — the one NFL staff to carry that distinction over that span, per ESPN.
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It’s all anybody ever desires to speak about with the Texans as of late.
Towards the Rams in Week 1, Houston gave up strain on 41.2 p.c of C.J. Stroud’s dropbacks. Stroud was sacked thrice and hit seven instances within the 14-9 loss. This got here after an offseason throughout which the offensive line was revamped, led by LT Laremy Tunsil’s commerce to the Commanders. Stroud was sacked 55 instances in 2024.
The offensive line’s Week 1 efficiency comes with a caveat, although. Guard Ed Ingram (stomach) missed the sport, which shuffled the road on the fly. It pushed Cam Robinson into the beginning lineup at left sort out and extremely regarded rookie Aireontae Ersery to proper sort out, with Tytus Howard having to change to protect, which he has performed usually.
The offensive line Houston appeared most assured in on the finish of coaching camp had Ersery at left sort out and Howard at proper sort out, with Robinson as depth and Ingram beginning at proper guard. Ingram practiced all week and is beginning tonight.
NRG Stadium in Houston simply held a second of silence “to honor all victims of violence and pure disasters throughout the nation.” The general public deal with announcer added, “It's our hope that collectively we are able to finish all types of violence.”
Following the homicide of Charlie Kirk final week, a second of silence was held in his honor earlier than Thursday evening's sport between the Commanders and Packers in Inexperienced Bay. The NFL then mentioned on Friday that it might be as much as the person golf equipment whether or not or not they maintain moments of silence throughout the remainder of Week 2.
The Texans' announcement didn’t point out Kirk by identify.
GO FURTHER
NFL explains resolution to carry second of silence for Charlie Kirk earlier than ‘Thursday Evening Soccer’
Nick Chubb is trying to attain a statistical milestone tonight when he fits up for the Houston Texans. With 55 scrimmage yards tonight in opposition to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chubb will grow to be the tenth lively operating again within the NFL to succeed in 8,000 profession scrimmage yards.
The 29-year-old can have achieved this with below 90 video games performed, the sixth lively RB to take action. That is Chubb's 87th profession sport tonight.
Emeka Egbuka, the Bucs’ first-round decide in April, had 4 catches for 67 yards within the staff’s season-opening win over Atlanta. He added two landing catches, together with the game-winner with 59 seconds to play.
So what’s going to he do for an encore tonight in his first prime-time sport within the NFL? That will probably be must-see.
It was a wild, high-scoring day in fantasy soccer yesterday. That resulted in lots of fantasy managers needing a Monday evening miracle in tonight’s doubleheader to salvage a win.
I requested our chatters in The Athletic Discord chat room (join here) what number of factors they want for his or her respective miracles. The outcomes had been throughout the board, with most needing wherever from 20-40 factors.
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Our Zak Keefer revealed a strong story as we speak on Tampa Bay Buccaneers broad receiver Mike Evans. It explores the sophisticated relationship together with his father and the way his homicide drove Evans to the NFL. Right here is an excerpt from the story:
💬: “He’ll be near the place it began Monday evening in Houston, lower than an hour from the place he grew up, the place Mike Evans discovered to bury the ache and harness the fad that boiled inside. That’s what lit the fireplace in a 9-year-old boy and hardened him into the person he grew to become. All these years later, that fireplace has but to burn out.”
Learn extra under.
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His father’s homicide drove Mike Evans to the NFL, a ‘huge brother’ taught him find out how to keep there
RB Dameon Pierce is a wholesome scratch tonight for the Texans.
Followers ought to be inspired by Chubb's 13 carries for 60 yards final week in opposition to the Rams. It's not in regards to the numbers as a lot as it’s about Chubb, who's battled large injurieslike he can contribute in significant methods this season.
Bear in mind, Joe Mixon is on the Texans' reserve/NFI listing, which implies he’ll miss at the least the primary 4 video games of the season after an ankle damage he suffered within the offseason.
Followers ought to be inspired by Chubb's 13 carries for 60 yards final week in opposition to the Rams. It's not in regards to the numbers as a lot as it’s about Chubb, who's battled large accidents however seems to be like he can contribute in significant methods this season.
Tonight marks the primary version of the Monday Evening Soccer doubleheader. It has grow to be an everyday prevalence for the reason that NFL’s 2021 tv rights deal.
So why does it occur? Our Steven Louis Goldstein breaks it down under.
GO FURTHER
The ‘Monday Evening Soccer’ doubleheader is again: Why it occurs and the place to look at every sport
Baker Mayfield is a cautionary story. How precisely are NFL groups so unhealthy at drafting and creating quarterbacks? Mayfield was drafted No. 1 total by the Cleveland Browns in 2018, however the Browns had been such a large number, and Mayfield bought caught up in that mess (and he was blamed for it in some ways).
Mayfield went to the Carolina Panthers after which the Los Angeles Rams (each in 2022) earlier than becoming a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023. He wasn’t seen as a savior for the franchise however has turned out to be simply that. He began all 34 video games the previous two seasons and handed for greater than 4,000 yards each seasons, and final week, Mayfield helped lead the Bucs to a win in Atlanta.
He has discovered a house in Tampa Bay, and the Buccaneers have discovered a quarterback in Mayfield.
DeMeco Ryans achieved immediate success upon his return to the Texans because of C.J. Stroud’s breakout rookie season. However to maintain that amid Stroud’s struggles final 12 months, Houston remade its identification into one thing rather more becoming for its former star linebacker-turned-head-coach: protection.
The Texans’ protection completed the 2024 common season fourth in EPA allowed per play and sixth in complete yards allowed per sport. Cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. was named first-team All-Professional, and Houston additional bolstered its protection by including security C.J. Gardner-Johnson, recent off a Tremendous Bowl win, in a commerce with the Eagles.
Add in 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Yr Will Anderson Jr., fellow star go rusher Danielle Hunter and stalwart center linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and mix that with one of many NFL’s finest defensive play-callers in Ryans, and you’ve got the makings of a unit that ought to completely smother opponents once more in 2025.
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No matter what occurs tonight, will probably be robust to essentially budge the Buccaneers’ ceiling on offense till October. That’s when Tampa Bay reportedly expects to get two of its finest gamers again — broad receiver Chris Godwin, from a damaged ankle that value him the second half of final season, and left sort out Tristan Wirfs, who underwent knee surgical procedure in July.
The 2 have 5 Professional Bowl nods earlier than them, and Wirfs is coming off his second profession first-team All-Professional nod in 2024. Plus, final 12 months’s No. 3 receiver Jalen McMillan can also be anticipated to overlook a number of extra weeks with the “severely sprained neck” he sustained within the preseason.
Baker Mayfield nonetheless has a powerful offensive line and two very good outdoors targets in Mike Evans and Emeka Egbuka. However he’s dealing with a tricky job tonight in opposition to a Texans protection thought-about among the many finest within the NFL.
Under are the Houston Texans inactives for tonight's Monday Evening Soccer sport:
Essentially the most notable information right here is that Pierce is a wholesome scratch.
In any other case, Andrews' excessive ankle sprain he suffered in opposition to the Rams will preserve him out for the foreseeable future. Jarrett Patterson is anticipated to start out in his place.
Kirk and Berrios are each out as soon as once more and coping with hamstring points. We'll get an opportunity to see rookie WRs and Iowa State teammates Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel tonight once more.
Under are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers inactive gamers for tonight's sport:
I’m not almost as assured in selecting a winner of this sport as I’m about this: Tonight’s sport will fall nicely wanting the 42.5 complete that’s presently listed on betMGM as of Friday afternoon. The Texans’ 14-9 loss to the Rams fell nicely wanting that, whereas the Buccaneers-Falcons complete barely went over at 43 regardless of Atlanta having one of many weaker defenses within the league.
As for the end result itself, I feel it is a sport the place the Buccaneers’ damage woes on offense get uncovered in opposition to a a lot harder protection than the one it confronted in Atlanta final week. The Texans will battle to attain factors, however I anticipate Houston to capitalize on turnovers and decelerate Tampa Bay’s offense greater than sufficient.
Choose: Texans 20, Buccaneers 14
I’m excited to share that The Athletic’s NFL report will now embrace sport footage, including a dynamic new component to our best-in-class protection of the largest sports activities league in America.
We are going to use this footage to inform compelling and revealing tales in a number of methods throughout The Athletic, together with quick recaps from each sport and additional postgame video analysis of select matchups. We may also use the footage to supply extra in-depth evaluation from our staff of NFL specialists and as a part of our NFL podcasts “Scoop Metropolis” and “The Athletic Soccer Present.”
Our objective is to take you contained in the motion to point out what’s actually occurring between the traces — who bought the block to make the large play occur, which staff executed on its technique higher, what it’s actually wish to play quarterback.
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C.J. Stroud helped reset the expectations for rookie NFL quarterbacks — perhaps to an unfair quantity — when he led the Texans to the playoffs in 2023. Stroud led the NFL in passing yards per sport and (lowest) interception price, acquired MVP votes and received NFL Offensive Rookie of the Yr virtually unanimously.
However Stroud fell again to earth fairly dramatically in 2024. The Texans returned to the playoffs — thanks largely to their protection — in 2024, however Stroud’s touchdown-to-interception price jumped from 23-5 to 20-12 and his go yards per sport dove from 273.9 to 219.2.
An enormous a part of that was Houston’s offensive line struggles. Stroud was sacked 52 instances final season, greater than every other quarterback within the NFL not named Caleb Williams. The Texans didn’t do a lot to handle that space final offseason, with their largest transfer being to commerce away Professional Bowl sort out Laremy Tunsil to the Commanders. And thus far, 2025 has regarded loads like 2024 — Stroud didn’t file a landing go and was sacked thrice in Houston’s Week 1 loss to the Rams.
Just like Tampa Bay, Houston invested its first decide within the 2025 NFL Draft in a large receiver coming off a really profitable faculty profession.
Jayden Higgins is an extended, rangy wideout who had two standout seasons at Iowa State, serving to the Cyclones attain the Large 12 Championship Recreation in 2024. He had a game-high in receiving yards in Week 1 in opposition to the Rams, though that tally was a meager 32 in a tough day throughout for Houston’s offense.
However Higgins nonetheless figures to have a giant function in Houston’s plans for this season, as he acquired extra targets from Stroud final week than every other pass-catcher aside from No. 1 wideout Nico Collins and tight finish Dalton Schultz.
Emeka Egbuka is among the many highest-profile faculty soccer gamers within the name-image-likeness period to return to school. He did so in 2024, when he might have entered that 12 months’s NFL draft and certain been a Day 2 decide. As a substitute, Egbuka gambled that an additional 12 months in faculty would assist elevate his profile and elevate Ohio State to a nationwide championship — and he received that wager.
Egbuka going within the first spherical of April’s draft wasn’t shocking, however the staff that selected him turned heads, provided that the Buccaneers had simply re-signed Chris Godwin in free company, nonetheless had Mike Evans and noticed promise from third-round decide Jalen McMillan in his 2024 rookie season.
However with Godwin recovering from a fractured ankle suffered final season and McMillan on injured reserve on account of a neck sprain sustained in preseason, Egbuka proved his price as a worthwhile second possibility behind Evans in Week 1. He had 4 receptions for 67 yards and two touchdowns in his NFL debut, together with the game-winner within the 23-20 victory over Atlanta.
