With the Buccaneers and Texans set to square off Sunday morning, Tampa Bay will once again need to play at the top of it's game to take down Houston. The Texans, coming off a loss to the Rams in Week 1, are still a dangerous team.
Houston won their division last year and is favored to win it again, according to ESPN. Lest we forget what happened the last time the Buccaneers were in Houston -- the game was a shootout that Tampa Bay was on the wrong side of.
That was two years ago, and a lot has changed on both sides. The performance by C.J. Stroud catapulted him on a run that ended with him winning Rookie of the Year, while the Bucs dealt with the same old frustrating defensive issues.
With that being said, here are four weaknesses that Tampa Bay should be able to take advantage of if they want to exact some revenge on Monday Night Football.
1. The receiving corps is young and inexperienced
Last year, everyone was raving about the Texans wide recievers. But with Stefon Diggs in New England and Tank Dell injured, Houston's depth at the position is suddenly full of rookies. Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel have been forced into roles they probably aren't ready for. It led to a disappointing performance from Houston's offense in Week 1, in which CJ Stroud was only able to muster up 151 passing yards.
If the Buccaneers can shut down Nico Collins the way the Rams were able to do, it will be another long day for Stroud and the Texans offense.
2. Their secondary is easy to beat
Houston allowed 224 passing yards in Week 1, and made Matthew Stafford look like PFF's highest-graded passer. Stafford finished the game with a 109.1 passer rating and a 72.4% completion rate, the ninth best in the league.
Baker Mayfield is a better QB than Stafford, and should be able to put up even better numbers against Houston.
3. The offensive line is vulnerable
Houston's offensive line is clearly vulnerable. They lost 37 yards in week 1 due to sacks, the third most in football. It's a continuation of the trend from 2024. Last year, Houston lost 426 yards on sacks, the second most in football, and CJ Stroud was sacked 54 times, with only Caleb Williams being sacked more often.
4. Their return game is weak
In week 1, the Texans utilized Dameon Pierce as their kick returner. Pierce, once thought to be the Texans running back of the future, struggled in the return role last week. He returned just one kick for 11 yards. Among every retrurner in Week 1, nobody averaged fewer yards-per-return.
Braxton Berrios was slightly better in the punt return role. He returned two punts for 20 yards, averaging 10 yards-per-return.
Tampa Bay should not be afraid to force the Texans to return their kicks. With touchdowns now bringing the ball up to the 35 yard-line, it would not make any sense for the Buccaneers to give Houston any free yards on a touchback.