They had to work all 60 minutes for it, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 2-0 for the third consecutive season.
Todd Bowles' squad took down the Houston Texans 20-19 on "Monday Night Football," using a last-minute touchdown drive to take the lead. While both Baker Mayfield and C.J. Stroud had initially cooled off in the second half following a back-and-forth battle in the first two quarters, Mayfield capitalized on his last opportunity to send Houston to 0-2.
Rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka continued to shine Monday with his third touchdown in two games, but it was running back Rachaad White who sent the Buccaneers home celebrating.
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Here's how the Buccaneers came back in the fourth quarter to win Monday's matchup against the Texans.
MORE:Which 0-2 and 2-0 teams are contenders or pretenders?
How did the Buccaneers beat the Texans?
Both quarterbacks settled into their Week 2 matchup fairly quickly. Stroud, who hasn't quite matched his elite rookie season since, bounced back from a rough Week 1 by hitting Nico Collins for six points on his first drive. Mayfield answered with a touchdown pass to Ryan Miller, then later on, extended Tampa Bay's lead by hitting Egbuka for the rookie's third score this season.
3rd touchdown in 2 games for Emeka Egbuka!
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β NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2025
Defense was the story of the third quarter though, with four punts and a missed field goal between the two sides. Still, Mayfield and Stroud put their best foots forward in the fourth.
The Texans blocked a punt, which then led to a 53-yard field goal to shrink their lead to just one point.
Texans block the punt and get the ball inside the 40!
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β NFL (@NFL) September 16, 2025
Things really swung in Houston's favor following a Bucs punt. Vintage Nick Chubb showed up to the game with a 25-yard touchdown run that put the Texans up 19-14, just over two minutes away from putting their Week 1 woes behind them.
Nick Chubb has the Texans on top!
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β NFL (@NFL) September 16, 2025
Instead, DeMeco Ryans' defense gave up an 11-play, 80-yard drive down the field from Mayfield in the span of two minutes.
Two big plays to Bucky Irving (121 total yards) on the final drive, plus a 16-yard rush from Mayfield on 4th & 10, set Tampa Bay up inside Texans territory.
Gutsy call to go on 4th down deep in their own territory and Baker picks up the first!
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β NFL (@NFL) September 16, 2025
Bucky Irving with the moves for 22 yards. 42 seconds remaining in the game.
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β NFL (@NFL) September 16, 2025
Right as the Texans began burning timeouts to potentially keep time on the clock for their own comeback attempt, White got the ball on 2nd & Goal and fought his way up the middle and past the goal line with just six seconds remaining.
Thatβs hard earned yards. Bucs up 20-19 with 6 seconds to go.
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β NFL (@NFL) September 16, 2025
Time expired on the following kickoff, preventing Stroud from getting his own shot at a comeback.
Clock expires and the Buccaneers improve to 2-0! pic.twitter.com/TaoYMBfnv2
β NFL (@NFL) September 16, 2025
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