The good, the bad and the ugly from Buccaneers' win over Texans

Another week, another game down to the wire for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they beat the Houston Texans 20-19. It wasn’t pretty by any means, but the Bucs are getting better at winning the ugly ones — something they struggled to do last season.

Houston got out to an early lead, but the Bucs responded with touchdowns on their first two drives after some ineffectiveness in moving the ball by both teams. The Texans came roaring back late in the game to make things interesting. The Buccaneers relied on some “Baker magic” to steal away another win in the final two minutes of the game.

The Bucs got the win, the prime time monkey off their back, and moved to 2-0 on the season. However, there’s plenty to clean up and work on, and new injuries to assess. Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Buccaneers' thrilling win over the Texans.

Good

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) attempts to evade a tackle from Houston Texans defensive end Danielle Hunter. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

QB Baker Mayfield

Mayfield was spectacular on Monday night against the Texans. It wasn’t a 300-yard, three-touchdown-plus performance. However, his grit and toughness were on full display. On a note where he was already dealing with injuries to the offensive line, Mayfield was dealt another blow when tackle Luke Goedeke left the game after the first drive. The move cut Mayfield's time to throw by nearly a second, but despite that, he made several big-time throws. He was just as impressive using his legs to escape treacherous situations and pick up yards. That includes the game-winning drive where a 16-yard scramble helped set up the Buccaneers game-winning touchdown. They call it “Baker magic,” and it was on full display on Monday night.

WR Ryan Miller

Miller came in clutch with the Bucs' first points of the game. Facing 2nd & 10 after an offensive pass interference call on Mike Evans put them in a 1st & 20, Mayfield connected with the third-year receiver for a 20-yard strike to tie the game up at seven all.

WR Emeka Egbuka

The Bucs' rookie wide receiver was back at it against the Texans, reeling in his third touchdown of the season on a 15-yard strike from Mayfield in the second quarter to give the Bucs the lead. He finished the night with four receptions on seven targets for 29 yards and the score.

S Tykee Smith

Smith continues to be a bright spot on the Buccaneers' defense as he transitions from nickel cornerback to safety. For the second straight game, he led the Bucs in tackles with six. He had a huge sack on third and two midway in the third quarter to force a punt, and he had a big tackle for loss in the fourth quarter.

Run game

The Bucs' rushing attack was perhaps the best part of the offense on Monday night. Rushing for 169 total yards, the Buccaneers' offensive line was able to move bodies as Josh Grizzard dipped into his bag of run selections. Bucky Irving had 71 yards on the ground and averaged 4.6 yards per carry, while Rachaad White totaled 65 yards on 10 carries for 6.5 yards per carry and the game-winning touchdown. Kudos to a shuffled (and then re-shuffled) offensive line for a bang-up job run blocking, especially after Luke Goedeke left the game after the first drive, thrusting Charlie Heck in for the remainder of the game.

RB Rachaad White

Speaking of White, not only did he procure the game-winning touchdown for the Bucs, but he was also the better running back on the day, even though Irving edged him out on yards and carries. White was able to rip off some big runs and was excellent in pass protection. He also made a critical heads-up play recovering a Mayfield fumble that could’ve turned disastrous.

Run defense

The Bucs defense continues to be dominant against the run. The Texans managed just 84 yards on the ground on Monday night, failing to find success with the run game. Nick Chubb led the way with 43 yards on 12 carries and had Houston’s go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter, but it was tough sledding to find any sort of consistency. Stroud had 27 yards, while rookie Woody Marks chipped in 14.

S Kaevon Merriweather

Merriweather made two huge special teams plays on Monday night. The first came on Riley Dixon’s blocked punt (more on that later) where he tackled Justin Watson before more damage could be done. The other came on the big punt return by the Texans at the end of the game. Merriweather had three total special teams tackles, but those two were clutch plays that saved immediate points off the board.

Bad

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) is sacked by Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Yaya Diaby (0). | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Pass Defense

You take the good with the bad, right? The Bucs' run defense was excellent, whereas the Bucs' pass defense was not. The Buccaneers only gave up 207 yards of passing, but it was the explosive plays that did them in. Stroud threw passes for gains of 20, 29, 27, 28, and 37 yards against Tampa’s secondary. The Bucs tinkered with rookie Benjamin Morrison at corner throughout the game, but he got called for an illegal contact penalty. The Bucs had a few chances to pick Stroud off, but couldn’t come down with any turnovers.

O-line Pass Pro

It was a rough night for the Bucs in pass protection, but not as bad as it could’ve been. Despite letting up a sack to Danielle Hunter, Graham Barton had a solid game at left tackle, but the same can’t be said across the line. The Bucs allowed two more sacks on the night as pressure was getting to Mayfield quite frequently. In fact, the sack total would’ve been high had Mayfield not escaped the clutches of defenders on several occasions. There are some things the Bucs need to clean up, and they have a short week against the Jets to do it.

LB Lavonte David

For his 200th game as a Buccaneer, it certainly wasn’t his best. David combined for a half sack with rookie Elijah Roberts, but some big misses during the game overshadowed it. David let up two big passes to the Texans in the fourth quarter. The first was a nine-yard grab by Dalton Schultz and the other was a 26-yard catch and run by Schultz. Luckily, the Bucs would hang on for a goal-line stand so no damage was done, but it showed his age. He also had a gifted interception thrown right to him that he dropped and a pretty bad missed tackle during the game.

LB SirVocea Dennis

It was a tough break for Dennis in coverage on two plays, specifically on Monday night. The first one came on a 27-yard screen pass to Nick Chubb. Dennis was zeroing in on Chubb but was blown up by the tight end, knocking him off the play and leaving his man running for a first down and more. The Texans scored on the next play. The second one was more egregious. Dennis simply lost sight of his man, running back Woody Marks, and was out of position, allowing Marks to race up the field for 37 yards. Dennis did settle in and finished with four tackles, including one for a loss, but those are plays he’d like to have back.

Bucs Edge Rushers

It was a quiet night for the Bucs' edge rushing room. Tampa’s defense had three sacks on the night, yet none of them came from their outside linebackers. In fact, there are several plays where they were stonewalled at the line of scrimmage. The room recorded just four total tackles, with the duo of Haason Reddick and Yaya Diaby tallying them. However, their first tackles came on the third and fourth plays of the game. Reddick’s second tackle came in the second quarter, while Diaby’s came in the third quarter on a tackle of Stroud after he lost contain. Stroud was getting the ball out quick, but that's not a good look for the Bucs' pass-rushing duo.

Ugly

Houston Texans wide receiver Justin Watson (84) recovers a blocked punt during the fourth quarter against the Buccaneers — Houston Texans wide receiver Justin Watson (84) recovers a blocked punt during the fourth quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Bucs' first drive on defense

The Bucs gave up a touchdown on their first drive in defense in their second straight week. This time, the Texans went six plays for 64 yards in three minutes and seven seconds. The Texans got huge chunk plays by Nick Chubb and Nico Collins, including the touchdown, and gave up a big 3rd & 1 on a second effort rush by Chubb. The Bucs need to tighten things up as the season progresses, as they won’t Always be able to come back after spotting the opposing team seven points to open the game.

Injuries

The Bucs entered the game pretty healthy, but they suffered two big injuries in the early goings. Already down Tristan Wirfs and Chris Godwin, the Bucs lost right tackle Luke Goedeke in the first quarter and defensive tackle Calijah Kancey in the second. Goedeke was on crutches after the game, while Kancey’s arm was in a sling. Kancey has a pectoral injury, and the Bucs are hoping it’s just a strain and not a tear, but they won’t know more until he undergoes further testing. Mayfield, White and McCollum looked to get banged up as well, but all three finished the game.

Special Teams

It was not a good night for the Bucs' special teams unit. First, Chase McLaughlin missed another field goal. His 38-yard attempt doinked off the uprights in the third quarter, which would’ve given the Bucs a seven-point lead. Dixon had a punt blocked in the fourth, giving Houston great field position, which they capitalized on with a field goal to make it a 14-13 ball game. Finally, late in the fourth quarter with the game on the line, the Bucs' coverage unit allowed Jaylin Noel to take it 53 yards to set up the Texans' eventual go-ahead score. The Bucs didn’t get much from their returners either, as all three phases of teams play struggled.

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