HotFootballTake: Monday Night Football Edition
Two weeks into the season and the NFL has already delivered chaos. Tomorrow night, though, we get a matchup dripping with storylines: the reigning NFC South champs against a young team still trying to prove they belong. Tampa Bay and Houston couldn’t have started their seasons more differently, and now they collide under the lights at NRG Stadium.
For the Buccaneers, Week 1 was a gut check. A defensive slugfest in Atlanta looked like it might slip away when Bijan Robinson broke free for a 50-yard touchdown and the Falcons took a late lead. But Baker Mayfield showed the poise of a quarterback who knows how to win ugly. He marched the Bucs down the field, finding rookie Emeka Egbuka for the second time that afternoon, a 25-yard strike that proved to be the game-winner. Egbuka, in his first ever NFL game, looked like he’d been there a decade—hauling in two touchdowns and immediately stepping into the void left by Chris Godwin’s injury. The Falcons had a chance to spoil it all with a field goal in the final seconds, but Younghoe Koo’s kick drifted wide, and Tampa walked out with a 23–20 victory, their fifth straight season-opening win.
Meanwhile in Houston, the Texans coughed away a winnable game against the Rams. C.J. Stroud threw for just 188 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. Their lone chance at glory—an inspired late drive into Rams territory—ended in disaster when Dare Ogunbowale lost the football on a simple run. The Rams fell on it, and that was that: Houston 0–1, searching for answers, and now staring down the possibility of starting the year 0–2. The frustration boiled over when Stroud publicly called out his own team’s performance. He didn’t sugarcoat it—he demanded better. Now is his chance to back that up.
And make no mistake, this is a quarterback showcase. Stroud is already a proven talent, but last week was a reminder that in this league, even stars can look mortal. He also knows what it’s like to torch Tampa Bay—back in his rookie year, he set records against the Bucs with a 470-yard, five-touchdown performance. Baker Mayfield, on the other hand, has made a career out of proving people wrong. He was written off before arriving in Tampa, only to turn into the heartbeat of a team that has now won four straight division crowns. Last week’s comeback drive only added to his reputation as the ultimate competitor.
The supporting cast will tell the rest of the story. Tampa’s offensive line is banged up with Tristan Wirfs out, and Baker will be staring down Will Anderson Jr., who was a wrecking ball in Week 1 even in a losing effort. Chris Godwin is sidelined again, so it’s Egbuka, Mike Evans, and a ground game led by Bucky Irving and Rachaad White tasked with keeping the chains moving. Houston isn’t without issues either. They’re down Christian Kirk and Braxton Berrios, leaving Nico Collins and the rookies to carry the load. Center Jake Andrews is also out, and against a Tampa defensive front that just added Haason Reddick, that’s not a small concern.
Add in the environment—NRG Stadium rocking for a “Liberty White Out”—and it feels like one of those nights where momentum will swing wildly. Houston has never lost to Tampa at home, but the Bucs are chasing history of their own, aiming for a fifth straight 2–0 start. It’s new hope versus the reigning champs, swagger versus survival, all wrapped in the stakes of September football that feels like it matters just a little bit more.
Prediction? Tampa Bay 27, Houston 17. The Texans will swing, but the champs will swing harder.