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Baker Mayfield leads the Buccaneers into Houston for a conflict with C.J. Stroud and the Texans for an early-season take a look at 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 unsightly offensive efficiency of their opener towards the Rams.
Comply with under for perception and evaluation from The Athletic’s crew of NFL reporters.
Hell yeah. That is what it's all about.
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The Texans didn't discover the top zone final week towards the Rams and a few of that needed to do with WR Nico Collins not displaying up on the stat sheet a lot.
Houston's prime receiver was focused 5 instances in Week 1, catching three of these passes for 25 yards. It's a remarkably low goal share and output for Collins, who's confirmed to be C.J. Stroud's most dependable weapon.
Anticipate that to vary tonight. The Bucs received't be shy in making an attempt to restrict Collins, although. Whereas tight finish Dalton Schultz is within the combine, free-agent acquisition Christian Kirk (hamstring) is out and throughout from Collins are two rookie WRs in Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins.
However the Texans can't win with out Nico Collins seeing extra targets.
The Texans’ offensive line is in flux, however can the Buccaneers take benefit? That they had just one sack final week towards the Falcons to open the season.
They have to be higher tonight and get off the sector after they have the prospect. The Falcons dominated the time of possession in that recreation (35:12 to 24:48) with 23 first downs and 358 yards to 16 and 260 for the Bucs.
In a recreation that had no turnovers, it’s form of a miracle that the Bucs received. They’ll want extra from the protection tonight to enhance to 2-0.
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 crew to carry that distinction over that span, per ESPN.
It’s all anybody ever needs to speak about with the Texans nowadays.
Towards the Rams in Week 1, Houston gave up stress on 41.2 % of C.J. Stroud’s dropbacks. Stroud was sacked 3 times 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 modify 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 tackle announcer added, “It's our hope that collectively we will 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 recreation between the Commanders and Packers in Inexperienced Bay. The NFL then stated on Friday that it could 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 title.
GO FURTHER
NFL explains determination to carry second of silence for Charlie Kirk earlier than ‘Thursday Night time Soccer’
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Nick Chubb is trying to attain a statistical milestone tonight when he fits up for the Houston Texans. With 55 scrimmage yards tonight towards the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chubb will turn into the tenth energetic operating again within the NFL to achieve 8,000 profession scrimmage yards.
The 29-year-old can have achieved this with underneath 90 video games performed, the sixth energetic RB to take action. That is Chubb's 87th profession recreation tonight.
Emeka Egbuka, the Bucs’ first-round choose in April, had 4 catches for 67 yards within the crew’s season-opening win over Atlanta. He added two landing catches, together with the game-winner with 59 seconds to play.
So what is going to he do for an encore tonight in his first prime-time recreation within the NFL? That will likely 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 anyplace from 20-40 factors.
Our Zak Keefer printed a strong story right now on Tampa Bay Buccaneers large receiver Mike Evans. It explores the difficult 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 trend that boiled inside. That’s what lit the hearth in a 9-year-old boy and hardened him into the person he turned. 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 ‘massive brother’ taught him methods 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 towards 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.
Keep in mind, Joe Mixon is on the Texans' reserve/NFI checklist, which implies he’ll miss no less than 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 towards 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 like he can contribute in significant methods this season.
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Tonight marks the primary version of the Monday Night time Soccer doubleheader. It has turn into a daily prevalence because the NFL’s 2021 tv rights deal.
So why does it occur? Our Steven Louis Goldstein breaks it down under.
GO FURTHER
The ‘Monday Night time Soccer’ doubleheader is again: Why it occurs and the place to observe every recreation
Baker Mayfield is a cautionary story. How precisely are NFL groups so unhealthy at drafting and growing quarterbacks? Mayfield was drafted No. 1 total by the Cleveland Browns in 2018, however the Browns had been such a multitude, and Mayfield received 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 prompt 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 yr, 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 recreation. 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 12 months 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 greatest defensive play-callers in Ryans, and you’ve got the makings of a unit that ought to completely smother opponents once more in 2025.
No matter what occurs tonight, will probably be powerful to actually budge the Buccaneers’ ceiling on offense till October. That’s when Tampa Bay reportedly expects to get two of its greatest gamers again — large 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 yr’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 robust offensive line and two very good outdoors targets in Mike Evans and Emeka Egbuka. However he’s going through a tricky job tonight towards a Texans protection thought-about among the many greatest within the NFL.
Beneath are the Houston Texans inactives for tonight's Monday Night time Soccer recreation:
Probably the most notable information right here is that Pierce is a wholesome scratch.
In any other case, Andrews' excessive ankle sprain he suffered towards the Rams will hold him out for the foreseeable future. Jarrett Patterson is anticipated to begin 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.
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Beneath are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers inactive gamers for tonight's recreation:
I’m not practically as assured in selecting a winner of this recreation as I’m about this: Tonight’s recreation will fall properly wanting the 42.5 complete that’s at the moment listed on betMGM as of Friday afternoon. The Texans’ 14-9 loss to the Rams fell properly 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 believe this can be a recreation the place the Buccaneers’ damage woes on offense get uncovered towards a a lot more durable protection than the one it confronted in Atlanta final week. The Texans will wrestle to attain factors, however I count on 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 recreation footage, including a dynamic new factor to our best-in-class protection of the most important sports activities league in America.
We’ll use this footage to inform compelling and revealing tales in a number of methods throughout The Athletic, together with quick recaps from each recreation and additional postgame video analysis of select matchups. We can even use the footage to supply extra in-depth evaluation from our crew of NFL consultants and as a part of our NFL podcasts “Scoop Metropolis” and “The Athletic Soccer Present.”
Our purpose is to take you contained in the motion to point out what’s actually happening between the traces — who received the block to make the large play occur, which crew executed on its technique higher, what it’s actually wish to play quarterback.
