HOUSTON – The Buccaneers flipped the script on the Texans, down to the very second.
Two years ago in the same stadium, the Bucs rallied for a go-ahead touchdown late, only to see Houston answer with a touchdown with six seconds left to stun them and win.
On Monday night, the Texans scored nine points in just over three minutes for a 19-14 lead, giving the ball back to the Bucs at their 20 with 2:10 left to play.
Baker Mayfield converted a fourth-and-10 with a 15-yard scramble, went 7-for-9 for 63 yards on the drive, and Rachaad White ran the ball in with a two-yard touchdown with – yes – six seconds left for a wild 20-19 win over the Texans.
After a similar comeback in Atlanta last week, the Bucs have won back-to-back road games with go-ahead touchdowns in the final minute – no NFL team has done that in more than 25 years, since the Dolphins in 1999.
“I have a lot of confidence in our guys,” Mayfield said after the win. “It’s in those moments when you’re moving the ball down the field, defenses can’t get certain blitzes and coverages dialed in. It’s basic fundamentals, and a lot of relying on those Day 1 installs and rills. We do 2-minute all the time, knowing you have all those reps in the bank and relying on that.”
The Bucs offensive line had a long day, starting without All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs and losing right tackle Luke Goedeke to a foot injury after the first drive. Down two starting tackles, they saw Texans edge rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter combine for three sacks, but the line pulled through on the final drive.
After Mayfield’s scramble, he completed five straight passes – eight, 22, five, 11 and five yards – and despite having two time outs, the Bucs let the clock tick down, until there were nine seconds left at the 2-yard line. Because they had time outs, they knew they could run the ball and stop the clock if they didn’t get in. They brought in two tight ends, and the play call came in with one last challenge for the offensive line – push for two yards, pull out a victory.
“When you hear a run call to win the game, that’s what we want as a O-lineman,” right tackle Charlie Heck said. “That shows the faith in our ability to run the ball and finish the game, and we executed, so that was awesome.”
With Wirfs out, the Bucs had taken the bold step of shifting center Graham Barton to left tackle, and he said the line found confidence in each other, knowing the difficulty was something they would battle together.
“We have two of the better tackles in the NFL, and it’s tough when they’re not playing,” Barton said. “I know it wasn’t pretty. We just battled. I’m just proud of the guys. We’re out-manned right now. It’s two of the better D-ends in the world, and we fought our butts off. To go down there at the end and give ourselves a chance to go score, really proud of our group.”
The Bucs, in their history, had never won in Houston – never against the Oilers, never against the Texans – and the game was likely the final stop here for receiver Mike Evans, who was born and raised an hour southeast of Houston in Galveston. He caught an 11-yard pass the the 7-yard line on the final drive, and was grateful to have a win as a homecoming gift in front of friends and family.
“It was very similar to two years ago, but this time we had the ball last, and we got a much-needed win,” Evans said. “Everybody was calm. Obviously, we did it last week, a little bit different scenario, but we practice two-minute religiously, and it was great for our preparation to come full-circle like that.”
Rachaad White (No. 1) scored the Bucs’ final touchdown after Emeka Egbuka (No. 2) opened the scoring for Tampa Bay in the first half. (David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Bucs defense had preserved the lead in the fourth quarter with a huge goal-line stand, stopping the Texans on three plays at the 1-yard line. Nick Chubb was stopped for no gain, and then C.J. Stroud threw a pair of incompletions for the turnover on downs.
A pair of special-teams gaffes had set Houston up for victory – the Texans blocked a Riley Dixon punt and got a field goal to pull within a point, and then a 53-yard punt return set them up with another short field. Chubb broke into the open field for a 25-yard touchdown, and the Texans led 19-14, looking like they’d pull off another late-game comeback against the Bucs.
“Heck of a job of situational football,” Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said. “Baker Mayfield on the fourth-and-10, using his legs to get the first down, it kind of catapulted everything from there. Everything we practiced, everything we talked about, everything we’ve known about finishing the ball game, they did a heck of a job finishing.”
The Bucs are 2-0 for the fifth year in a row, but they’re also aware they’ve lost their third game in each of the last four years. Next up is an 0-2 Jets team in Tampa Bay’s home opener on a short week next Sunday, but the Bucs will stay confident if it goes down to the wire again.
“Again, resiliency,” Bowles said. “The chemistry these guys have, being around each other. We talk a lot about culture, and culture helps you win ball games, especially on the road. We practice it over and over and over, so they know what to do, what coverages and what to see and how they’re going to react to it. Everybody’s bought in.”
Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.
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