Losers of three straight and four of their last five, the Bucs should be well-rested when they return to the field Sunday. They will have had nine days in between their Week 8 and Week 9 games, and they’ll have a chance to break their losing streak and get back to .500 in Houston against the 3-4 Texans.

Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles has continued to say each week that his team won’t let the losses snowball, though three straight defeats tells a different story. The Bucs really need to stop the bleeding this week as they’re still very much in the NFC South race as November begins. They’ll enter Week 9 a half-game behind the Falcons and Saints for first place.

This game — and next week’s against the Titans — come with even more importance for Bowles and his team given that a trip to San Francisco in Week 11 is looming. The 49ers have lost three straight, but they’re still a better football team than the Bucs are and trips to the West Coast aren’t very kind to this franchise.

So, a win over the Texans would get things back on track at least a little bit and renew some sort of hope in Tampa Bay.

The Last Time…

Bucs QB Jameis Winston – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

It was a very different world the last time these two teams met in the regular season. It was pre-pandemic, pre-Tom Brady in Tampa and pre-Deshaun Watson lawsuits, as the Bucs and Texans last squared off on Dec. 21, 2019 at Raymond James Stadium. Jameis Winston threw four interceptions — one being a pick-six — as the Texans won, 23-20.

Tampa Bay was in that game despite three Winston turnovers early on, taking a 20-20 tie into the fourth quarter. But after Houston took a 23-20 lead, a fourth pick from the Bucs’ quarterback sealed the deal. With Mike Evans and Chris Godwin both sidelined, the list of Bucs with receptions on the day features quite the group: Breshad Perriman, O.J. Howard, Justin Watson, Dare Ogunbowale, Ronald Jones, Ishmael Hyman, Codey McElroy and Cameron Brate.

The Texans lead the all-time series with the Bucs 4-1, have posted a 2-0 record when the two teams have met in Houston and carry a four-game winning streak in the series into Sunday.

How The Bucs And Texans Are Trending

Simply put, Tampa Bay is headed in the wrong direction. All of the good vibes from the team’s 3-1 start disappeared following the bye week as the team has lost three games in a row and hasn’t looked particularly good in any of them.

The Bucs are now 3-4 and they’re a half-game behind the Falcons and Saints for first place in the NFC South. Rebounding against the Texans in Week 9 is a must if they’re going to make a push for a third straight NFC South title and a fourth consecutive playoff appearance.

Texans QB CJ Stroud and WR Nico Collins – Photo by: USA Today

The Texans have been a bit of a surprise. No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud has made them a better team pretty quickly, as they’re 3-4 when many expected them to be bottom-dwellers in the AFC once again.

Houston followed an 0-2 start with a stunning 37-17 win over the Jaguars and another surprising 30-6 blowout of the Steelers the next week. Since getting to 2-2, though, the Texans have been inconsistent on their run through the NFC South. They lost by two to the Falcons, responded by beating the Saints by 7 and then most recently lost by two to the previously winless Panthers.

The Bucs follow Sunday’s game in Houston with a home game against Tennessee (3-4) and road trips to San Francisco (5-3) and Indianapolis (3-5) to wrap up November. The Texans, on the other hand, travel to the Bengals (4-3) next week before home games against the Cardinals (1-7) and Jaguars (6-2) to finish the month.

Here’s how the Bucs and Texans stack up heading into Week 9:

Bucs Offense: 27th in scoring offense (17.3 PPG), 23rd in total offense (298.3 yards per game), 17th in passing offense (220.4 yards per game), 30th in rushing offense (77.9 yards per game)

Texans Offense: 20th in scoring offense (21.1 PPG), 17th in total offense (330.4 yards per game), 11th in passing offense (238.6 yards per game), 23rd in rushing offense (91.9 yards per game)

Bucs Defense: T-6th in scoring defense (18.3 points allowed per game), 25th in total defense (354.6 yards allowed per game), 28th in passing defense (256.0 yards allowed per game), 10th in rushing defense (98.6 yards allowed per game)

Texans Defense: T-6th in scoring defense (18.3 points allowed per game), 19th in total defense (335.4 yards allowed per game), 22nd in passing defense (236.1 yards allowed per game), 11th in rushing defense (99.3 yards allowed per game)

As of Tuesday, Houston was a 2.5-point favorite in the game, which has an Over/Under set at 40 points (per MyBookie.ag).

What Might Decide This Bucs-Texans Matchup?

Bucs RG Cody Mauch, C Robert Hainsey, LG Matt Feiler and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The interior of both offensive lines will be points of intrigue on Sunday afternoon. The Bucs have seen inconsistent play from theirs, with a second-year starting center in Robert Hainsey and new additions at guard in veteran Matt Feiler and rookie Cody Mauch. Last week, Aaron Stinnie stepped in for an injured Feiler, whose availability for Week 9 is uncertain. The Tampa Bay offensive line as a whole has been great in pass protection, but its run blocking has been bad — especially on the inside.

Meanwhile, the Houston offensive line has been ravaged by injuries — specifically at the center position. The Texans have lost three — yes, three — centers since training camp. Scott Quessenberry tore his ACL early in camp, then 2023 second-round center Juice Scruggs landed on injured reserve to start the season. Now, this past Sunday, fellow rookie Jarrett Patterson suffered his own lower leg injury.

So it’ll be Michael Deiter anchoring the Houston offensive line in front of rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud on Sunday. He’ll be flanked by former Buc Shaq Mason and Tytus Howard. Howard is the only starter on the current version of the offensive line to not allow a sack this year.

Whether either defensive line can exploit the opposing interior offensive line could be a key in this game. Getting Vita Vea back to full health would be huge for the Bucs in particular. Either way, though, rookie Calijah Kancey could be one lineman who is primed to make an impact this week.

Bucs OC Dave Canales and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Beyond the offensive line, this game for Tampa Bay will be decided by its offense. Baker Mayfield has regressed over the last three weeks and Dave Canales’ offense as a whole has looked disjointed. We’re getting too far into the season to keep saying “it’ll come together,” which is why that unit needs a fast start and a complete performance against a tough DeMeco Ryans defense.

The Houston offense will be an interesting matchup for Todd Bowles’ defense. Stroud has been impressive in his first seven career games, completing 60.1% of his passes for 1,800 yards and nine touchdowns to just one interception. He’s working without one clear No. 1 receiver, as production has been pretty evenly split between Nico Collins (33 catches/547 yards/3 touchdowns), rookie Tank Dell (22/340/2), Robert Woods (22/227/1) and tight end Dalton Schultz (23/220/3).

Dameon Pierce, who nearly rushed for 1,000 yards as a rookie last year, hasn’t been able to get going this year at all. He’s averaging just 3.0 yards per carry and has only scored once in 2023.

Key Players to Watch

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: USA Today

Mike Evans has 33 catches for 507 yards and five touchdowns this season, and he’s on pace to break the 1,000-yard mark for the 10th straight season. He’ll be playing less than an hour from his hometown of Galveston on Sunday, and Tampa Bay would love for him to have a happy homecoming. He’s only had one 100-yard game this season, but another on Sunday would go a long way for him and the Tampa Bay offense.

Antoine Winfield Jr. is essentially a lock to make at least one impact play each week. Last week, it came on a blitz that saw him knock a Josh Allen pass into the air, where it was intercepted by Will Gholston. That set the Buccaneer offense up to tie the game at 10. There’s no words to say about Winfield’s current run of form that haven’t already been said. He’s been the best player on Tampa Bay’s defense and he’ll need to continue to make plays on Sunday for a secondary that seemingly doesn’t have any other playmakers in it.

Though he did lose a head-to-head battle against No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young last week, C.J. Stroud — the No. 2 pick — is having a better year so far. He’s up to 1,800 yards and nine touchdowns to just one interception so far, plus he has 68 rushing yards and another score on the ground. Not only that, but he has the Texans at three wins — matching last year’s total in seven games. He’s thrown for multiple touchdowns in four games so far this year and could give Todd Bowles’ defense some issues. Bowles’ Bucs defenses have struggled with rookie quarterbacks in the past. 

Jonathan Greenard, a 2020 third-round pick, has been the post productive pass rusher for the Texans this year. He leads Houston with six sacks in seven games. The next closest is defensive tackle Maliek Collins with 2.5, while No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson has one, but leads the team with 27 QB pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. Houston’s 15 team sacks are tied for the second-fewest in the NFL this season.

Bucs at Texans Game Information

When: Sunday, November 5
Where: NRG Stadium (Houston, TX)
Kickoff: 1:00 p.m. ET
TV: CBS – Ian Eagle (Play by Play), Charles Davis (Analyst), Evan Washburn (Reporter)
Bucs Radio: 98Rock – Gene Deckerhoff (Play by Play), Dave Moore (Color), T.J. Rives (Reporter)
Spanish Radio: 96.1 Caliente – Carlos Bohorquez (Play by Play), Martín Gramática (Analyst)