Texans RB Nick Chubb ran into wall after wall.
Texans running backs averaged 3.8 yards per carry tonight.
That’s a nice total for the 1992 season, but in the modern game, it means the Bucs did a strong job stopping the run. Again.
Yeah, Houston running back Nick Chubb busted a 25-yard run tonight, but it was all lights out beyond that. His other 11 carries netted 18 yards.
Anyone see Falcons running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier run wild on a good Minnesota defense on Sunday night? Joe sure did. They racked up 219 yards on the ground. Heck, even Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht talked about that on the team’s radio pregame show tonight in Houston.
Licht’s context was that Robinson and Allgeier were shut down by the Bucs in Week 1, so it was a great testament to the Tampa Bay run defense. Joe was thinking the same thing Sunday night.
The Bucs [are likely to be without defensive tackle Calijah Kancey for a long time,](https://www.joebucsfan.com/2025/09/it-has-a-chance-to-be-serious/) but Joe’s not concerned about how that will affect the run defense. Yes, Kancey is explosive with tackles for loss at times, but the Bucs can get a lot of consistency from Logan Hall and Greg Gaines picking up his snaps.
Rookie Elijah Roberts (a half-sack tonight) is more raw when it comes to run defense, but he’s a big body who should get better as the season progresses.