Buccaneers vs. Texans: Game Info, Where to Watch and More
It's the third and final week of the new-look NFL preseason, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will make their first and only road trip of the month to Houston before the regular season begins in September.
You can find out everything that you need to know about the game below.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Houston Texans
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
When: Saturday, Aug. 28 at 8:00 P.M. ET
Watch: Tampa - WFLA Channel 8 (NBC); Houston - ABC 13
Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network - 98ROCK
The rundown
Buccaneers: Through two games this preseason, we've seen the Buccaneers starters in action for all of one drive. That will change on Saturday night.
Head coach Bruce Arians has said that the Buccaneers plan to play their starters through the first half, and maybe longer, against Houston. This will offer quarterback Tom Brady, for example, more than two passing attempts like he received in his 2021 debut against Cincinnati.
While it should be encouraging to see the starting lineup get some legitimate warmups in before week one, this week still serves as an opportunity for players on the bubble to earn a spot on Tampa Bay's roster. AllBucs has its eyes on the No. 4 tight end spot, the backup offensive line, a potential No. 5 linebacker role and numbers in the secondary to solidify their jobs against the Texans.
Texans: Like Tampa Bay, Houston is expected to field their starters for quite a while in the final preseason game of the year, likely for the entire first half and perhaps into the third quarter.
Although the Bucs don't need to see much from their starters, all of which played in the Super Bowl roughly eight months ago, the Texans' first-team can use all of the reps it can get. Houston's roster is in rough shape after a hectic offseason of rebuilding, which has led to measly season-long projections. This is particularly true as quarterback Deshaun Watson remains sidelined due to ongoing, troubling legal matters.
That being said, this squad is off to a 2-0 start this preseason and has exceeded expectations thus far, albeit these games are meaningless. Houston's defense recorded four turnovers in its win over Dallas last Saturday and have seven this preseason in total, meaning Tampa Bay's starters and backups on offense will need to refrain from making mistakes - otherwise, the Texans may take advantage.
Stay tuned to AllBucs for further coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' preseason updates, and other news and analysis. Follow along on social media at @SIBuccaneers on Twitter and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.
