Statement.
This was not just another victory.
Todd Bowles and Baker Mayfield shook off serious demons in Houston. It’s even got Joe thinking about February, and that has nothing to do with the NBA All-Star Game’s new format.
Baker Mayfield was 1-7 as an NFL quarterback on Monday night entering tonight’s thrilling 20-19 win against the Texans. Bowles had a 3-9 record at night as a Bucs head coach. And neither wanted to say publicly that it was anything more than a coincidence, just a couple of guys and their teams having bad luck on Mondays.
Nonsense.
Joe doesn’t know what the Bucs tweaked entering tonight’s game. But it looked like something significant — perhaps a meeting the special teams weren’t invited to.
The game plan looked sound, especially defensively, and somehow the Bucs survived the Charlie Heck experience at right tackle.
Heck’s appearence was _eerily_ similar to Justin Skule entering the Bucs-Lions game for an injured Luke Goedeke last year. That also was in Week 2 and early in the game. Skule also struggled like Heck (against Aiden Hutchinson) but the Bucs managed a huge road victory like they did tonight.
No situation is too big for Mayfield, so he should be better at night. If he had been feeling a lack of confidence, this huge comeback “W” should wipe out the bad vibes.
The Bucs have three more night games this season: at the Lions and Rams, and home for the Falcons.