Buccaneers players say the quiet part out loud about Nick Chubb's TD run

Fortunately, members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers excel at football, considering they presumably stink at poker; their poker faces aren't great. The team is playing coy on whether the 25-yard rushing touchdown they gave up to Houston Texans running back Nick Chubb in Week 2 was intentional. We may never hear them explicitly say that was the case, but the proof is in the pudding.

Buccaneers star safety Antoine Winfield Jr.'s witty comments when asked if they let Chubb score are Exhibit A. Head coach Todd Bowles essentially brushing off the topic rather than squashing the debate once and for all when he had a chance is Exhibit B. Lastly, but most certainly not least, there's the good ol' eye test:

The holes were hard to come by for Chubb and the Texans all evening against the Buccaneers. He was sitting on 10 carries for 17 yards entering the drive that ended with him finding pay dirt and briefly giving Houston a 19-14 lead. Then, with the outcome of an interconference Monday Night Football clash hanging in the balance, a gaping lane suddenly opens up.

Video angle of Nick Chubb's TD tells us what Buccaneers players won't

Watch Buccaneers two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Vita Vea. He's a 6-foot-4, 347-pound freak athlete and widely regarded as one of the NFL's best run stoppers. It's rare to see anyone get the best of him in the trenches, let alone Texans third-year backup center Jarrett Patterson.

Don't you think Vea would've at least thrown an arm tackle to prevent the Chubb from scampering to the end zone in hopes? The former ostensibly isn't even thinking about bringing down the latter during this play -- in a one-point game -- with roughly two minutes remaining.

Chubb got past Vea and Co. to the second level with relative ease, especially compared to what he was experiencing the entire contest beforehand. As the veteran tailback was getting to the sideline, it appeared Winfield was closing in on him, or at least had a good angle. More often than not, that sequence doesn't end with Tampa Bay's opponent punching it in for six.

Yet, Winfield visibly gave up on trying to corral Chubb at about the six-yard line. Again, the context of the situation cannot be overstated. This was the end of a tight primetime showdown, and the difference between the Bucs needing a field goal or a touchdown to win.

Nevertheless, Winfield, Vea, Bowles and the Bucs bet on themselves, specifically quarterback Baker Mayfield. They have all the confidence in the world in their franchise passer, and it showed in Houston.