The Houston Texans (9-5) travel to Tampa to take on the Buccaneers (7-7) Saturday afternoon. It’s the fifth meeting between these two teams, with Houston leading the all-time series 3-1. The lone win for the Buccaneers came at home back in 2003.
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Texans vs. Buccaneers
- When: Saturday, December 21
- Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
- TV: NFL Network
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
Ka’imi Fairbirn’s 29-yard field goal sealed the deal for the Houston Texans in a 24-21 victory over division rival Tennessee as they put up 10 straight points in the final quarter of the game. It also gave Houston control of the AFC South with two weeks remaining in the regular season. Deshaun Watson completed 19 of 27 passes for 243 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Carlos Hyde took the pressure off of Watson with 26 carries for 104 yards and one touchdown. DeAndre Hopkins looked like an All-Pro at wide receiver, hauling in six catches for 114 yards, while Kenny Stills was on the receiving end of two Watson touchdown passes.
Tennessee compiled 432 yards of offense in the game and was equally dangerous in the passing game and with the run. Ryan Tannehill threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns, while the Titans tallied 163 yards rushing. Fortunately for Houston, Tampa Bay will be without some key offensive weapons. The Texans defense has had trouble with the run the last several weeks and has also given up some big plays in the passing game. Zach Cunningham has been a key player in the absence of J.J. Watt and had 14 tackles and half a sack last weekend. How will this defense show up after a short week and can it focus on the Buccaneers knowing that they have a rematch with Tennessee right around the corner?
Meanwhile, the Bucs have been red hot and are looking for their fifth consecutive win. Jameis Winston set a single-season record for passing yards with the team’s 38-17 victory in Detroit. Winston threw for 452 yards, four touchdowns and one interception to bring his total to 4,573. He also leads the league in interceptions, so the question remains which Winston will you see at game time? Mike Evans had a season-ending hamstring injury two weeks ago and this week the hamstring bug caught Chris Godwin, who had a standout season with 1,339 yards receiving. That means Breshad Perriman, who scored three touchdowns in the win against the Lions, could be poised for another productive game.
The defensive unit is playing better and better each week as well. The Buccaneers rush defense is ranked first in the league and holding opponents to an average of 73.3 yards per game. Shaq Barrett picked up another sack against the Lions, which tied him for the most in a season (16.5) with Warren Sapp. Sean Murphy-Bunting and Lavonte David led the team with eight tackles. Bunting, part of a young secondary, recorded his first interception of the year, which he returned 70 yards for a touchdown.
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