Monday night’s primetime battle between the Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a tale of two quarterbacks.
C.J. Stroud and his Texans offense put up 10 first-quarter points, but spluttered through the second and third periods without adding more.
Still, they remained in touch, and a fourth-quarter field goal followed by a 25-yard touchdown run from Nick Chubb put Houston ahead with two minutes remaining.
Two minutes, though, is a long time in the NFL — and Baker Mayfield stepped up to show he’s the league’s most underrated star.
He engineered a game-winning drive for the Bucs, which began with a scramble on fourth down to pick up the 10 yards Tampa Bay desperately needed.
Five straight completions followed, and running back Rachaad White battled into the endzone on a two-yard run to ice the game with six seconds on the clock.
With a 20-19 win, Tampa Bay moved to 2-0 and handed Houston their second-straight loss.
While Mayfield and the Bucs thrived under the late pressure, Stroud and the Texans collapsed.
It was the latest alarming performance from a third-year quarterback who burst onto the scene in 2023 to lead his team to a division title and playoff victory en-route to the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
Monday night marked the sixth game with 20 or fewer points for Houston since Week 15 of last season — tied for the most in the NFL over that timeframe, including the postseason.
The offense is yet to click under new coordinator Nick Caley, who replaced the fired Bobby Slowik after a playoff loss to the Chiefs in January.
Stroud went 13/24 for 207 yards and a passing touchdown on Monday, but none of his wideouts hauled in more than three grabs.
Houston’s offense is struggling to click in the early weeks of the seasonGetty Bucs QB Mayfield led a late game-winning drive on Monday nightGettyHe also took three sacks on a night that Tampa Bay looked there for the taking, despite an offseason offensive line overhaul.
Stroud must face blame for Texans struggles
After watching the Texans fall to 0-2, talkSPORT’s Senior US writer, Brian T. Smith, believes the 23-year-old QB must shoulder much of the blame.
“C.J. Stroud was supposed to make Texans fans forget about Deshaun Watson,” Smith, who still ranks Stroud in the NFL’s top 20 QBs, said.
“Instead, he’s reminding them that the Texans have disappointed their fans since they entered the NFL.
“Stroud is average right now, and he’s being outplayed by Daniel Jones.
“How is DeMeco Ryans’ team tied for last in the AFC South?
Stroud must shoulder the blame for Houston’s early strugglesGetty“That’s unacceptable, and they’re losing the games that Ryans is supposed to win. The Texans’ offense has been lollygagging since the end of Stroud’s rookie year.
“Maybe it wasn’t all on a fired offensive coordinator.
“The offensive line still isn’t good enough. They can’t run the ball. But Stroud has put up 0-2 numbers, and that’s on him.”
Stroud sends simple message amid Houston slump
Despite himself admitting the Texans were ‘lollygagging’ after a season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Stroud has called for calm amid a 0-2 start.
Texans 2025 NFL schedule
The Texans have started 0-2, but how does their early schedule shape up?
Week 1: @ Los Angeles Rams – L 14-9
Week 2: Vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers – L 20-19
Week 3: @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 4: Vs Tennessee Titans
Week 5: @Baltimore Ravens
Week 6: BYE
“Just stay together, stay committed to one another, trust in one another,” he urged his teammates on Monday night.
“The sun will rise in the morning, it’s not the end of the world.
“Everybody’s going to talk crazy and say we suck and we’re this and that.
“But at the end of the day, we’ve got to stay together, mesh well, be honest and have hard conversations.
Stroud has urged the Texas to stick together amid their slumpGetty“I think right now we need more confidence as an offense… I think that’s a big thing.”
What are the numbers behind Stroud’s drop off?
The second overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, Stroud burst onto the scene in Houston.
He became just the third player in NFL history, behind Cam Newton and Justin Herbert, to put up at least 900 passing yards in his first three games.
By Week 5, Stroud had thrown his 177th pass attempt without an interception, breaking the previous league record set by Dak Prescott for the most attempts without an interception to begin a career.
Stroud was one of the NFL’s most exciting rookies, but has struggle in recent timesGettyIn 15 starts, he powered the Texans to a 9-6 record and lead them to the playoffs in his rookie season, where they beat the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card round.
Houston’s 2023 season ended at the hands of the Chiefs, but OROTY Stroud finished his debut campaign with an impressive 4,108 yards and 23 passing touchdowns.
He even labeled himself a top-five quarterback in the NFL, last offseason, ahead of eventual MVP Josh Allen, and behind only the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Prescott.
But despite his confidence, the Texans QB suffered what many described as a ‘Sophomore Slump’.
After a solid start, Stroud’s struggles began in week 7 with a loss against the Green Bay Packers, and defeats against the New York Jets, Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens soon followed.
He had one of the worst outings of his career in a 31-2 loss to the Ravens, and completed 54.8% of his passes for 185 yards and an interception.
Stroud finished the regular season with 3,727 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions before a playoff loss to the Chiefs.
Through two weeks of the 2025 season, he has racked up 395 yards — less than 20 other QBs — and has thrown just one touchdown pass.
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