Texans' C.J. Stroud Predicted to Face Multiple Sacks vs. Buccaneers

The Houston Texans will be enduring more change on their offensive line heading into Week 2 vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Following the return of starting right guard Ed Ingram and an ankle injury to center Jake Andrews, the Texans will be preparing for a new five-man combination on their offensive line for Monday night, just one week into the season.

The shifts come after an up-and-down Week 1 vs. the LA Rams, where C.J. Stroud was taken down for three sacks, was pressured on 41% of his throws, and showed signs of last year's offensive front, despite the multiple changes enacted throughout the offseason.

But with those moves upfront could also cause a bit of disarray for Stroud in the pocket during Monday night's primetime showdown, and in the mind of ESPN's Seth Walder, may actually turn into a nightmare scenario for the Texans' quarterback.

Walder dished an eye-catching prediction for how the events of Texans-Bucs may play out, where his projection didn't bode too well for Stroud: he sees Tampa Bay coming alive with a staggering six sacks or more come Monday night.

"Tampa Bay will sack Stroud six or more times," Walder wrote. "The combination of Bowles' blitz-heavy defense (though it wasn't particularly blitz-heavy last week), the Texans' weak offensive line and -- this part's a guess -- a Bucs lead should put Stroud under plenty of pressure."

That's double the amount of sacks Stroud dealt with in LA against another challenging defensive front. If the Texans allow that type of pressure to get to their quarterback against Tampa Bay, it's hard to see a route where that pans out in Houston's favor to get a win in their home opener.

Sep 7, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams linebacker Byron Young (0) sacks Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) during the second quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Stroud's protection doesn't need to be perfect, and it likely won't be in the first game with a new offensive line combination. However, sacks and negative plays still have to remain in check to allow the Texans' offense to thrive.

Those negative plays are ultimately what sank their ship offensively last week due to multiple penalties and inconsistent protection under center. Now facing a scoring attack like Tampa Bay's led by Baker Mayfield, Houston's offense can't afford to dig itself into holes and land in a similar position as it did vs. LA.

Rookie tackle Aireontae Ersery will have to step up after a less-than-ideal debut now on the left side, veteran Tytus Howard must keep his consistency in from right guard to tackle, and the new-look interior with guards Laken Tomlinson and Eg Ingram, along with new starting center Jarrett Patterson, will be tasked to gel together quickly and effectively on Monday night against a talented Bucs front.

Time will tell if Walder's prediction ends up coming true, but if six sacks are indeed in the cards for the Texans on Monday, the chatter surrounding this offensive line will only be getting louder as the season goes on.

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