Baker Mayfield orchestrated a dramatic 11-play, 80-yard drive culminating in Rachaad White's two-yard touchdown run with six seconds remaining, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Houston Texans 20-19 on Monday night. The victory was a reversal of fortune for the Buccaneers, who had lost to the Texans in the final seconds during their last visit to Houston in 2023.
Mayfield threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns, including a crucial 15-yard scramble on fourth-and-10 that kept the game-winning drive alive. 'That was a heck of a job of situational football,' said Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles. 'Baker on the fourth-and-10, using his legs to get the first down. That kind of catapulted everything from there.'
The Buccaneers improved to 2-0 for the fifth consecutive season, the longest active streak in the NFL. Mayfield joined Doug Williams (1980) as the only Tampa Bay quarterbacks to open a season with two consecutive game-winning drives, after his last-minute touchdown pass to Emeka Egbuka in the season opener against Atlanta.
The Texans (0-2) had taken a 19-14 lead on Nick Chubb's 25-yard touchdown run with 2:10 left, but failed to convert the two-point attempt. Houston's C.J. Stroud threw for 207 yards and a touchdown but could not muster enough offence in the second half. 'We had multiple opportunities to win that game and we didn't make the plays we needed to make,' said Texans coach DeMeco Ryans.
Egbuka, a rookie first-round draft pick, caught a 15-yard touchdown pass in the first half, becoming the sixth player since the merger to have three touchdown catches in his first two games. The Buccaneers had earlier tied the game on a 20-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Miller. Houston's defence, led by Danielle Hunter who forced a fumble and recorded two sacks, kept the game close but could not stop Mayfield's final drive.
