Baker Mayfield leads late drive as Buccaneers stun Texans in Houston

HOUSTON -- For the 2nd consecutive week, Tampa Bay Buccaneers backmost Baker Mayfield engineered a game-winning touchdown thrust with 2:00 to go, delivering connected his vow for "more wins" successful 2025 arsenic the Bucs knocked disconnected the Houston Texans, 20-19, connected Monday.

With 1:32 near successful the game, Mayfield was flushed from the pouch and could not link with rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka connected third-and-10. So with the crippled connected the enactment connected 4th down, helium scrambled to support prime up the archetypal down.

Then aft 5 consecutive completions -- including moving backmost Bucky Irving taking a brace of abbreviated passes 22 and 18 yards. respectively -- moving backmost Rachaad White took a 2-yard tally up the mediate for the game-winning score.

The Texans lone needed their defence to travel up with a halt aft taking a 19-14 pb with 2:10 near successful the crippled aft Nick Chubb punched successful a 25-yard run, but Mayfield was capable to get his archetypal prime-time triumph successful the regular play with the Buccaneers. Prior to Monday, Mayfield had gone 0-6 during the regular play with the Bucs successful premier time.

Here are the astir important things to cognize from Monday nighttime for some teams:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0)

Surprising trend: For the 2nd consecutive week, the Bucs' defence surrendered an explosive touchdown connected the opening drive. Last week it was a 50-yard touchdown from moving backmost Bijan Robinson with wrong linebacker SirVocea Dennis successful coverage. This week, it was a 29-yard touchdown from wide receiver Nico Collins with Zyon McCollum successful sum -- each clip putting the Bucs successful a 7-0 spread earlier they adjacent played a down of offense.

Pivotal point: First came a mislaid fumble from Mayfield connected a third-and-3 scramble that resulted successful Rachaad White recovering it, leaving the crippled with an wounded (he would return) and the Bucs being forced to punt. Then Texans fullback Jakob Johnson blocked Riley Dixon's punt, with erstwhile Bucs wide receiver Justin Watson making the betterment to acceptable up a 53-yard tract extremity by the Texans. Then aft a 53-yard punt instrumentality from Texans wide receiver Jaylin Noel, successful which helium took it to the Tampa Bay 26, the Texans grabbed the pb connected Chubb's touchdown tally with 2:10 left.

Troubling trend: One week aft missing wide close connected a 44-yard tract extremity effort and not converting an other constituent astatine the Atlanta Falcons, kicker Chase McLaughlin missed a 38-yard tract extremity effort successful Houston. M...