NFL Week 2 | Monday Night Football | September 15, 2025 NRG Stadium, Houston, TX | Attendance: 71,580 | Referee: Shawn Hochuli
With 2:10 left on the clock, Nick Chubb had just scored from 25 yards out to give Houston a 19-14 lead. NRG Stadium was loud. The Texans went for two. Stroud was sacked. And Baker Mayfield went to work.
Eleven plays. Eighty yards. Six seconds to spare. Rachaad White punched it in from two yards, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers walked out of Houston with a 20-19 victory on Monday Night Football — their first-ever regular season win in that city.
“Got another win. Didn’t have to be pretty. But it ain’t football though. Two and O, on to the next.” — Baker Mayfield
Table of Contents
Scoring Summary
| Quarter | Time | Play | TB | HOU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 11:53 | Nico Collins 29-yd TD pass from Stroud (Fairbairn kick) | 0 | 7 |
| Q1 | 7:12 | Ryan Miller 20-yd TD pass from Mayfield (McLaughlin kick) | 7 | 7 |
| Q1 | 3:25 | Ka’imi Fairbairn 35-yd FG | 7 | 10 |
| Q2 | 9:41 | Emeka Egbuka 15-yd TD pass from Mayfield (McLaughlin kick) | 14 | 10 |
| Q4 | 5:22 | Ka’imi Fairbairn 53-yd FG | 14 | 13 |
| Q4 | 2:10 | Nick Chubb 25-yd rush TD (2-pt conversion failed) | 14 | 19 |
| Q4 | 0:06 | Rachaad White 2-yd rush TD (2-pt conversion failed) | 20 | 19 |
First Half: Houston Struck First, Tampa Bay Responded
Stroud opened the scoring with a 29-yard strike to Nico Collins. The drive covered 64 yards in six plays and gave Houston the early edge. Mayfield answered on Tampa Bay’s first possession, finding Ryan Miller in the back of the end zone on a 20-yard pass to tie it 7-7. Fairbairn’s 35-yarder before the quarter ended put the Texans back in front.
The second quarter belonged to Mayfield. He led a 14-play, 77-yard march — the longest drive of the night by play count — and capped it with a 15-yard touchdown pass to rookie Emeka Egbuka. Tampa Bay took a 14-10 lead into halftime and held it there.
Second Half and Fourth Quarter: Two Plays Changed Everything
Neither offense moved the ball in the third quarter. McLaughlin’s 38-yard field goal attempt rattled off the right upright. Houston had first-and-goal at the eight-yard line early in the fourth, but Nico Collins was stopped short on a first-down catch, Chubb gained nothing on second down, and Stroud threw incomplete on third and fourth. The Texans came away with zero points.
Then two special teams plays swung the game:
- Blocked punt by Jakob Johnson in the fourth quarter — Houston recovered at Tampa Bay’s 35-yard line. Fairbairn drilled a 53-yarder to cut it to 14-13.
- Jaylin Noel’s 53-yard punt return set up Chubb’s go-ahead score two plays later.
Chubb took a handoff 25 yards untouched into the end zone. Houston went for two and Stroud was sacked. Texans led 19-14. Two minutes and ten seconds remained.
The Final Drive
Mayfield started from his own 20 and needed 80 yards. The drive nearly died when Tampa Bay faced a fourth-and-10. Mayfield scrambled for 15 yards to keep it alive. From there, the Buccaneers chipped away — short routes, checkdowns, and White carrying the load on the ground.
White took the last carry two yards into the end zone with six seconds left.
“In those moments, when you’re moving the ball down the field, defenses can’t get certain blitzes and coverages dialed in… It’s relying on the Day One installs and the drills. We do two-minute all the time.” — Baker Mayfield
Passing Stats
| Player | Team | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | SACKS | RTG | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker Mayfield | TB | 25/38 | 215 | 5.7 | 2 | 0 | 4-24 | 98.0 | 72.5 |
| C.J. Stroud | HOU | 13/24 | 207 | 8.6 | 1 | 0 | 3-25 | 97.0 | 20.2 |
Rushing Stats
| Player | Team | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucky Irving | TB | 17 | 71 | 4.2 | 0 | 10 |
| Rachaad White | TB | 10 | 65 | 6.5 | 1 | 16 |
| Baker Mayfield | TB | 3 | 33 | 11.0 | 0 | 16 |
| Tampa Bay Total | 30 | 169 | 5.6 | 1 | 16 | |
| Nick Chubb | HOU | 12 | 43 | 3.6 | 1 | 25 |
| C.J. Stroud | HOU | 4 | 27 | 6.8 | 0 | 19 |
| Woody Marks | HOU | 3 | 14 | 4.7 | 0 | 7 |
| Houston Total | 19 | 84 | 4.4 | 1 | 25 |
Receiving Stats
| Player | Team | REC | TGT | YDS | AVG | TD | LG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Evans | TB | 5 | 11 | 56 | 11.2 | 0 | 22 |
| Bucky Irving | TB | 6 | 6 | 50 | 8.3 | 0 | 22 |
| Sterling Shepard | TB | 4 | 4 | 34 | 8.5 | 0 | 15 |
| Emeka Egbuka | TB | 4 | 7 | 29 | 7.3 | 1 | 15 |
| Cade Otton | TB | 3 | 4 | 25 | 8.3 | 0 | 12 |
| Ryan Miller | TB | 1 | 1 | 20 | 20.0 | 1 | 20 |
| Rachaad White | TB | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 2 |
| Payne Durham | TB | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Tampa Bay Total | 25 | 36 | 215 | 8.6 | 2 | 22 | |
| Nico Collins | HOU | 3 | 9 | 52 | 17.3 | 1 | 29 |
| Woody Marks | HOU | 1 | 1 | 37 | 37.0 | 0 | 37 |
| Nick Chubb | HOU | 2 | 2 | 29 | 14.5 | 0 | 27 |
| Xavier Hutchinson | HOU | 2 | 3 | 29 | 14.5 | 0 | 20 |
| Dalton Schultz | HOU | 3 | 4 | 29 | 9.7 | 0 | 16 |
| Jayden Higgins | HOU | 1 | 1 | 28 | 28.0 | 0 | 28 |
| Justin Watson | HOU | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 |
| Harrison Bryant | HOU | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Houston Total | 13 | 23 | 207 | 15.9 | 1 | 37 |
Defense Stats
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
| Player | TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL | PD | QB HTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tykee Smith | 6 | 4 | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Zyon McCollum | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr. | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SirVocea Dennis | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Jamel Dean | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vita Vea | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaevon Merriweather | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lavonte David | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Haason Reddick | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Yaya Diaby | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Logan Hall | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Deion Jones | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Greg Gaines | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Elijah Roberts | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Calijah Kancey | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacob Parrish | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ryan Miller | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Izien | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Bullock | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Hayes | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Team Total | 46 | 36 | 3.0 | 5 | 2 | 6 |
Houston Texans
| Player | TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL | PD | QB HTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry To’oTo’o | 11 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Azeez Al-Shaair | 10 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| C.J. Gardner-Johnson | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jalen Pitre | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Danielle Hunter | 5 | 3 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Kamari Lassiter | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Anderson Jr. | 4 | 3 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Folorunso Fatukasi | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derek Stingley Jr. | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Calen Bullock | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sheldon Rankins | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Dare Ogunbowale | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tim Settle Jr. | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaylin Smith | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| E.J. Speed | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jake Hansen | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Harris | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| M.J. Stewart | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derek Barnett | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Team Total | 68 | 53 | 4.0 | 6 | 3 | 6 |
Special Teams
Kicking
| Kicker | Team | FG | PCT | Long | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ka’imi Fairbairn | HOU | 2/2 | 100% | 53 | 1/1 | 7 |
| Chase McLaughlin | TB | 0/1 | 0% | — | 2/2 | 2 |
Punting
| Punter | Team | NO | YDS | AVG | LG | TB | In 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riley Dixon | TB | 5 | 253 | 50.6 | 60 | 1 | 0 |
| Tommy Townsend | HOU | 4 | 203 | 50.8 | 57 | 1 | 2 |
Punt Returns
| Returner | Team | NO | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaylin Noel | HOU | 3 | 67 | 22.3 | 53 | 0 |
| Kameron Johnson | TB | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 6 | 0 |
Kick Returns
| Returner | Team | NO | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaylin Noel | HOU | 3 | 78 | 26.0 | 34 | 0 |
| Tremon Smith | HOU | 1 | 29 | 29.0 | 29 | 0 |
| Kameron Johnson | TB | 2 | 42 | 21.0 | 25 | 0 |
| Sean Tucker | TB | 1 | 26 | 26.0 | 26 | 0 |
Fumbles
| Player | Team | FUM | LOST | REC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker Mayfield | TB | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Rachaad White | TB | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Full Team Stats
| Category | Tampa Bay | Houston |
|---|---|---|
| Final Score | 20 | 19 |
| Total Yards | 360 | 266 |
| Passing Yards (net) | 191 | 182 |
| Rushing Yards | 169 | 84 |
| Total Plays | 72 | 46 |
| Yards Per Play | 5.0 | 5.8 |
| 1st Downs | 25 | 12 |
| Passing 1st Downs | 12 | 7 |
| Rushing 1st Downs | 9 | 3 |
| 1st Downs (Penalty) | 4 | 2 |
| 3rd Down Conv. | 6/14 (43%) | 2/9 (22%) |
| 4th Down Conv. | 1/1 | 0/1 |
| Red Zone (Made/Att) | 2/3 | 0/2 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Fumbles Lost | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties | 7-45 | 6-45 |
| Time of Possession | 37:09 | 22:51 |
Tampa Bay ran 26 more plays and held the ball for over 14 minutes longer. Houston was sharper per play (5.8 yards vs 5.0) but simply did not get enough of them. The Texans converted just 2 of 9 third downs and went 0-for-2 in the red zone — a combination that made a late 19-14 lead impossible to protect.
What Else Happened
Emeka Egbuka became the first player in Buccaneers history to score a touchdown in each of his first two NFL games. He is also the sixth player since the 1970 merger with three receiving touchdowns through the opening two games of a season.
Nick Chubb scored his first touchdown as a Texan on a 25-yard run — his longest carry of the season — after spending seven seasons with the Cleveland Browns.
Danielle Hunter finished with 2 sacks and a forced fumble, pushing his career sack total to 101.5 across 10 NFL seasons.
On the injury front, OT Luke Goedeke (TB) exited in the first quarter with a foot injury. DE Calijah Kancey (TB) suffered a pectoral injury in the first half and did not return. Rookie CB Benjamin Morrison stepped in for Jamel Dean at corner for several drives.
A side story that picked up steam after the whistle: Mayfield and C.J. Gardner-Johnson got into it on the field during the fourth quarter following a Mayfield scramble. Post-game, Gardner-Johnson kept it brief: “He got the dub. I’ll leave it at that. Great player, he won the game for his team.” Then he saw Mayfield’s Instagram post — captioned “Built different. 10 toes down” — and fired back: “Boy this cute but still ringless.”
When asked about the exchange on Wednesday, Mayfield had three words: “We don’t take any s**.”*
What’s Next
Tampa Bay (2-0) returned home to host the New York Jets at Raymond James Stadium in Week 3. Houston (0-2) traveled to Jacksonville needing answers — fast.
The Buccaneers had now started 2-0 for the fifth consecutive season, and in each of the previous four, they had lost Game Three. More importantly, Mayfield had now led a game-winning drive in the final two minutes in back-to-back weeks. Whether that is a trend or a warning sign about how close these games keep coming is a conversation Tampa Bay would need to have.
“We haven’t played even close to our best ball in all three phases, and we’re still finding ways to win on the road. To not lose sight of that — we’re finding ways to win, but we do need to get things fixed.” — Baker Mayfield
Game Date: September 15, 2025 | Venue: NRG Stadium, Houston, TX | Attendance: 71,580
