The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a thriller to the Texans in Houston in Week Nine when their own last-minute rally was trumped by a C.J. Stroud touchdown pass with six seconds left in a 39-37 final. It was Tampa Bay's second road loss in a row – and their fourth consecutive defeat overall – but now they get a date with the Tennessee Titans in front of their home crowd as they try to get back in the win column.
The loss in Houston sent the Bucs to a 3-5 record overall, which is now 1.5 games behind the 5-4 New Orleans Saints in the NFC South. The Saints defeated the Chicago Bears in Week Nine, while the Atlanta Falcons lost to the Minnesota Vikings to fall to 4-5. As quarterback Baker Mayfield noted after throwing for 265 yards and two touchdowns against the Texans on Sunday, there is "a lot of football left" in the 2023 season and the Bucs have every opportunity to get back in the division race in the weeks ahead.
The Titans are coming off a 20-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week Nine, which dropped their record to 3-5. That was a Thursday night affair, giving Tennessee a little extra time to prepare for the Buccaneers and perhaps to continue their transition to rookie quarterback Will Levis. Levis, the 33rd-overall pick in the 2023 draft, has started Tennessee's last two games due to Ryan Tannehill's ankle injury, leading the Titans to a win over Atlanta in Week Eight in his first career start before last week's loss to Pittsburgh. Levis threw four touchdown passes without an interception in his debut, but then had no touchdowns and one pick against Pittsburgh.
The Bucs' Week 10 contest is one of only two at home over the next six weeks, and it will be their third consecutive game against an AFC opponent after losses to Buffalo and Houston. Tampa Bay's offense is coming off a season-high in scoring and is starting to find some traction in the ground game, with Rachaad White rushing for 73 yards and two touchdowns against the Texans. Mayfield now has a 12-4 TD-INT ratio and he's found a reliable pass-catching quartet in White, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Cade Otton. They'll take on a Tennessee defense that ranked 20th in yards allowed heading into Week Nine.
