Buccaneers at Texans Odds & Betting Tips

NFL

A rare interconference matchup takes place in Week 2 of the NFL season as part of Monday Night Football’s doubleheader when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the Houston Texans on September 15. The teams have played just six times, the last coming in 2023, and the Texans have won the last five encounters. The game kicks off from NRG Stadium in Houston, TX at 7 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN.

Buccaneers at Texans Preview

The Bucs have been a successful NFL team over the last half decade starting with a Super Bowl win behind Tom Brady during the 2020 season. They’ve won the last four NFC South titles despite posting a 27-24 regular season record. Tampa won the division in 2022 with a losing record. The Bucs have also won at least one playoff game in three of the last five postseasons.

After playing for three different teams in a two-year span, Baker Mayfield resurrected his career in Tampa. He was one of the top passers in the NFL last season with the second-most TD throws, third-most passing yards and the fourth highest passer rating. The Bucs ranked fourth in scoring and third in yards in 2024 cashing the OVER in 12 of 17 games.

Mayfield ended last regular season with multiple TD passes in five straight games and tossed three scoring strikes in Week 1.
The Bucs are 4-2 SU and 5-1 ATS in their last six games as a road underdog.
Tampa led the NFL in third-down efficiency last season and was 7 of 14 against the Falcons.
The Bucs are 4-11 SU and 7-9 ATS in their last 15 games versus AFC opponents.

There are a lot of division titles between the teams over the last few years with the Texans the two-time defending AFC South champ. However, they didn’t look the part in Week 1 losing to the Rams 14-9 as a 3-point road dog. Playing without injured Joe Mixon, who rushed for over 1,000 yards and had 36 receptions last season, Houston totaled 265 yards and failed to score a TD.

The defense did more than enough to beat the Rams holding them to fewer than 300 total yards and just 2.9 yards per rush attempt. The strength of the unit allowed Houston to win 10 games last season; the Texans ranked sixth in the NFL allowing 315 yards per game.

Under DeMeco Ryans the Texans have been good at home going 13-5 SU in their last 18 contests, including playoffs.
Twice in their last three regular season games the Texans failed to score a touchdown. They dropped a Week 17 tilt to Baltimore last season 31-2.
The Texans have won the last five meetings with Tampa going 3-1-1 ATS.

Buccaneers at Texans Predictions

When the teams last met in 2023 both quarterbacks went off with C.J. Stroud throwing for 470 yards and five TDs while Baker Mayfield had a pair of scoring passes in Houston’s 39-37. We may not see that kind of production, but both are capable of producing points and the low total has me leaning toward the OVER.

Buccaneers at Texans Betting Tips

The Texans are a 2.5-point favorite on the early NFL betting line with a moneyline price of -150.
Including last season’s playoffs the Texans are favored for the first time in seven games.
The Bucs are 4-2 SU and 5-1 ATS in their last six games as a road underdog.
Tampa’s moneyline price is +133.
The total surfaced at 42.5. Both teams cashed the UNDER in Week 1.

Buccaneers at Texans Head to Head and Key Stats

The teams have played just six times with the Texans winning the last five.
The most recent matchup occurred in 2023 when the teams combined for more than 800 yards and scored 31 fourth quarter points in Houston’s 39-37 victory.
The Texans have won all three games played between the teams in Houston.
Houston amassed more than 400 total yards in three of the last four games.
Stroud had career-highs of 470 passing yards and 5 TD passes in the last meeting between the clubs.