The Buccaneers continue on the road this week, this time in Houston on Monday night football. Tampa Bay is 1-0 and are looking for their fifth straight 2-0 start to the season meanwhile the Texans are looking for a bounce back game after their opening week loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
To preview the game, we sat down with Scott Barzilla of Battle Red Blog to break down things from a Texans perspective. Let’s get into it.
1. The Texans suffered a tough loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams last week. It was a game in which they didn’t score a touchdown. What went wrong in that game?
“The biggest story from this game was the inability of the Texans passing game to get
going. Christian Kirk was out and that left C.J. Stroud without a reliable second target. However, most of the attention throughout the offseason was on the offensive line. The Texans went from 5th in offensive line salary to 26th in one offseason. The working theory was that they would find a way to do more with less by simplifying the blocking scheme, asking Stroud to get the ball out quicker, and allowing Stroud to change the play and/or protection schemes at the line. Stroud generally did well with pressure in this game, but the 41 percent pressure rate is likely unsustainable. Left guard Ed Ingram was out the first week and that caused them to shuffle almost the entire line. If he is able to play we will likely see some improvement, but he is questionable at this point.”
2. There has been a lot of talk about the Texans offensive line struggling dating back to last year. They allowed three sacks this past Sunday. How confident are you in this offensive line?
“I’m not. You don’t cut the amount of money you spend on a unit nearly in half and somehow expect improvement. I was generally on board with trading Laremy Tunsil. He was officially the highest paid player on the 2024 Texans and his production didn’t match the cost. Whether he was committing yet another false start or simply not run blocking with the kind of ferocious nature you want, I felt like moving on was the right move. That being said, the expectation is that you would roll that savings into legitimate starters at the other spots. Laken Tomlinson was technically a starter last season, but he wasn’t a highly rated one. Ed Ingram lost his job in Minnesota in the middle of the season. Jake Andrews was a career backup in New England. Cam Robinson was good in Jacksonville, but he didn’t perform well once he moved to Minnesota last season.
That was the extent of their additions in free agency. Aireontae Ersery is a good looking young tackle, but he is a rookie. Cobbling together that group (along with Tytus Howard) into one functioning unit would be a jedi mind trick. The hope is that once everyone on the offense is healthy they can move the ball with quick decisions from Stroud. I think that’s a possibility, but this will never be a good line the way it is currently constructed.“
3. The last time the Bucs faced C.J. Stroud, he embarrassed them as a rookie by leading a game winning touchdown drive in just seconds. What has changed the most from Stroud’s rookie season to the type of QB Stroud is now?
“The pressure rates were insane last season and the 41 percent rate from week one was one of the highest in the league. Stroud has been better at using his legs to gain positive yards on some busted plays, but no quarterback is going to be at his best with that level of pressure. I think what has happened to Stroud is a combination of factors. The league always adjusts to you once they get solid tape on you. I think that has definitely happened. However, he seemed reluctant to take check downs last season and simply held onto the ball in hopes of a big play developing downfield. Early returns from training camp indicate that he should be better in that regard. Combine that with the use of his legs and it could offset the issues with the line. If we are being honest, he likely never will be on the level of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, or Lamar Jackson. When you take out those top five or six quarterbacks then he probably fits comfortably in that next group. What is that worth in terms of a contract? Knowing the NFL it probably gets him 60 million a season.”
4. When looking at this game, what is your X-factor matchup that may go a long way in deciding the game?
“I noticed that the Bucs corners had good grades from week one. I think the biggest matchup will be whoever matches up with Nico Collins. Collins only got five targets in week one and I can’t imagine that happening again on Monday night. If I were betting I’m guessing the number will be closer to ten. Will Collins be able to get those chunk plays that he has done the last two seasons or will he be relegated to stuff around the line of scrimmage. I imagine they will try a screen or two with him to see if they can get him going that way. If the Buc corners are able to contain him and limit him to four or five catches and no chunk plays it could be another long day for the Texans offense.”
5. Currently the Texans are a slight home favorite. What is your score prediction for this one?
“I’d personally stay away from this game in terms of the spread. I generally don’t have a good feel for teams early in the season, so I don’t know if week one was a case of the Texans just playing a very good football team or if the offensive issues are that glaring. If I were to place a wager on the game I would probably bet the under. The over/under is set at 42.5 which seems like a lofty number considering neither of these teams looked good offensively in week one. if you put a gun to my head I’d go with the Texans on the money line, but I think it is pretty close game. I would have probably set the line closer to one than 2.5. It seems cliche, but the team that wins the turnover battle wins the game.”
Thanks so much to Scott for doing this!
