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Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers are in Houston taking up C.J. Stroud and the Texans in an early-season conflict between two playoff contenders.
Comply with beneath for perception and evaluation from The Athletic’s crew of NFL reporters.
Q1 14:53 – Bucs 0, Texans 0
A pleasant kickoff return for Texans receiver Jaylin Noel. He goes 33 yards on the return, placing the Texans on the 36-yard line to begin.
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Q1 15:00 – Bucs 0, Texans 0
We're underway from Houston with the Texans getting the ball first.
Hell yeah. That is what it's all about.
The Texans didn't discover the tip 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 occasions 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.
Count on that to alter tonight. The Bucs received't be shy in attempting 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? They’d just one sack final week towards the Falcons to open the season.
They must be higher tonight and get off the sector after they have the prospect. The Falcons dominated the time of possession in that sport (35:12 to 24:48) with 23 first downs and 358 yards to 16 and 260 for the Bucs.
In a sport that had no turnovers, it’s sort 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 pair of — the one NFL crew to carry that distinction over that span, per ESPN.
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It’s all anybody ever needs to speak about with the Texans lately.
Towards the Rams in Week 1, Houston gave up stress on 41.2 p.c of C.J. Stroud’s dropbacks. Stroud was sacked thrice and hit seven occasions 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 occasions 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 typically.
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 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 stated 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 choice to carry second of silence for Charlie Kirk earlier than ‘Thursday Evening Soccer’
Nick Chubb is seeking 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 out to be the tenth lively working again within the NFL to succeed in 8,000 profession scrimmage yards.
The 29-year-old can have achieved this with beneath 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 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 sport within the NFL? That shall 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 printed a robust story at this time on Tampa Bay Buccaneers vast 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 realized to bury the ache and harness the fashion that boiled inside. That’s what lit the hearth 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 beneath.
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His father’s homicide drove Mike Evans to the NFL, a ‘large brother’ taught him how you can keep there
RB Dameon Pierce is a wholesome scratch tonight for the Texans.
Followers needs to be inspired by Chubb's 13 carries for 60 yards final week towards the Rams. It's not concerning the numbers as a lot as it’s about Chubb, who's battled huge injurieslike he can contribute in significant methods this season.
Keep in mind, Joe Mixon is on the Texans' reserve/NFI record, which suggests he’ll miss not less than the primary 4 video games of the season after an ankle harm he suffered within the offseason.
Followers needs to be inspired by Chubb's 13 carries for 60 yards final week towards the Rams. It's not concerning the numbers as a lot as it’s about Chubb, who's battled huge accidents however appears like he can contribute in significant methods this season.
Tonight marks the primary version of the Monday Evening Soccer doubleheader. It has turn out to be a daily incidence for the reason that NFL’s 2021 tv rights deal.
So why does it occur? Our Steven Louis Goldstein breaks it down beneath.
GO FURTHER
The ‘Monday Evening Soccer’ doubleheader is again: Why it occurs and the place to observe every sport
Baker Mayfield is a cautionary story. How precisely are NFL groups so dangerous at drafting and growing quarterbacks? Mayfield was drafted No. 1 general 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 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 whole 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, contemporary off a Tremendous Bowl win, in a commerce with the Eagles.
Add in 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Yr Will Anderson Jr., fellow star move 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, it will likely be powerful to actually budge the Buccaneers’ ceiling on offense till October. That’s when Tampa Bay reportedly expects to get two of its finest gamers again — vast 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 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 excellent outdoors targets in Mike Evans and Emeka Egbuka. However he’s dealing with a tricky job tonight towards a Texans protection thought-about among the many finest within the NFL.
Beneath are the Houston Texans inactives for tonight's Monday Evening Soccer sport:
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 maintain him out for the foreseeable future. Jarrett Patterson is predicted 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.
Beneath are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers inactive gamers for tonight's sport:
