Two, two, two Monday Night Football games in one night!
The now-traditional early-season Monday Night Football doubleheader kicks off with a matchup of two 2024 playoff teams. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, off their Week 1 win over division rival Atlanta, travel to Houston to face the Texans. Coin toss is at 7 p.m. ET, and the game can be seen on ABC and ESPN.
We'll break down our Bucs vs. Texans prediction and picks for Monday, which features Tampa Bay QB Baker Mayfield and his new second-favorite receiver WR Emeka Eguba — Mike Evans being numero uno — locking horns with Texans QB C.J. Stroud.
Buccaneers vs. Texans Prediction, Preview for NFL Week 2
The Buccaneers won their third consecutive NFC South title last season and started this campaign with a victory over the rival Falcons. Here in Week 2, they face a Texans team that struggled offensively in their season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Tonight's game will see Bucs veteran QB Baker Mayfield eyeballing third-year Houston starter C.J. Stroud.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers Preview
The Bucs are looking to start 2-0 for the fifth straight season, extending their franchise record.
After losing both games to the Falcons last season and barely edging them out for the NFC South title and postseason spot, Tampa Bay rallied to defeat the Falcons in Week 1, 23-20.
Tampa's defense allowed 97.8 rush yards per game last year, the fourth-fewest of any NFL team. In 2023, they allowed 95.3, the fifth-fewest. They're keeping things rolling here in '25, holding Falcons RB Bijan Robinson to 24 yards on the ground, and the Falcons to 69 total rush yards.
Houston Texans Preview
Much to Clutch City's chagrin, we saw a disappointing start to 2025 for the Texans, who were held to 3 FGs and 265 total yards of offense by the Los Angeles Rams.
The Texans look to avoid their third 0-2 start since 2020. Dating back to last season, over their last eight games, the Texans have topped 23 points just once, that being in a playoff win vs Chargers.
Buccaneers vs. Texans Picks for NFL DFS & PrizePicks
Here are three Bucs and Texans player picks for Monday for PrizePicks' real money NFL game, including Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield and WR Emeka Eguba, and Texans QB C.J. Stroud.
Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield Projection vs. Texans: 0.5 Passing TDs
Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield tossed 3 passing TDs last week for the Falcons, his seventh consecutive game with 2-plus passing TDs.
The former No. 1 pick racked up 2-plus passing TDs in 13 of 18 games last season, including the playoffs, and in 26 of his 38 games with the Bucs.
Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka Projection vs. Texans: 54.5 Receiving yards
Buccaneers rookie WR Emeka Egbuka shined in his debut last week with 4 catches for 64 yards and 2 TDs.
The former OSU Buckeye was on the field for 54 of the Buccaneers 58 offensive plays, a stunning 93% of the action for his first game.
Texans QB C.J. Stroud Projection vs. Buccaneers: 230.5 Passing yards
C.J. Stroud passed for 188 yards in the season-opening loss to the Rams.
He has now failed to reach 250 passing yards in eight of his last nine games, and 10 of his past 12.
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Will the Buccaneers get off to another 2-0 start and send the Texans reeling to 0-2? Or can the Texans offense wake up and defend home turf on Monday night?
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There's a wide variety of player stat projections on the NFL board, so you can make predictions on anything from yards to field goals. Just choose at least two players and pick More or Less on their stats to build your Lineup on PrizePicks.
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