We’re in for a solid doubleheader on Monday Night Football! The first game kicks off at 7:00 PM ET on ABC & ESPN. It’ll feature Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers heading to NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. They’ll take on CJ Stroud and his Houston Texans. Let’s jump in and preview the Buccaneers at Texans.
The Buccaneers went to Atlanta in Week 1 to take on their divisional mates in the Falcons. After going down early, they fought back and grabbed the victory. Rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka balled out. He caught four passes, two of which were for touchdown passes. Baker Mayfield tossed another touchdown to Bucky Irving to score three on the day.
The Texans went to Los Angeles to play the Rams. It was a slow game that lacked much offensive production. Stroud was efficient passing 19/27, but was sacked three times and tossed an interception as well. Nick Chubb looked solid as their main running back, with 13 carries for 60 yards. No wide receiver caught more than 32 yards through the air.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Houston Texans Preview and Predictions
Emeka Egbuka Over 54.5 Receiving Yards (-115)
The Buccaneers targeted Egbuka six times in total in Week 1, getting him worked in right away. He looked the explosive part of things, with a 30 yard catch, and proved he can be a reliable target getting those two touchdowns. The Rams explosive wide receiver, Puka Nacua went hog wild on the Texans defense last week he caught 10 passes for 130 yards. Look for the Buccaneers to use Egbuka similarly.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +2.5 (+100)
I love the Buccaneers this week, and would have bet them even as a short favorite. The fact we get them as underdogs makes this even better. Houston simply didn’t look good in Week 1, and there is a ton of question marks around this team especially on their offensive line. I don’t think Week 1 was a fluke, it’s going to take this Texans team time to get rolling in 2025. The Buccaneers went on the road in a tough environment last week and got the job done. They’ll do so again Monday night.
