The 1-0 Tampa Bay Buccaneers make their 2025 prime-time debut on Monday night in Houston in Week Two against the 0-1 Texans. The Buccaneers have won the NFC South in each of the last four years while the Texans have taken the AFC South crown two years in a row. As a franchise, Tampa Bay has never won a regular-season game played in Houston. To find out how to watch, listen and livestream the game, click here.
For the analysts, there are concerns about the ailing offensive lines and struggling rushing attacks for both teams, leading some to predict an "ugly" low-scoring affair. One analyst called it a "coin-flip game" but suggested an X-factor could be Baker Mayfield's return to his home state. As several experts noted, both teams saw their offenses get off to relatively slow starts in Week One, but one thought the Bucs had a better chance of righting the ship in Week Two due to "the more battle-tested vet" at quarterback plus his new colleague, Emeka Egbuka. Another suggested the Bucs have more offensive versatility, which will help them get on track.
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports, who is often bullish on the Buccaneers, doesn't see them getting to 2-0 with consecutive road wins, writing:
"The Bucs are playing back-to-back road games, while the Texans are playing their home opener. That's never a good combination. But the Texans have offensive line issues that could be at play in this one. Even so, I think the Texans will find a way behind their dominant defense to win this one."
The Texans are 2.5-point favorites at home but the Bucs are getting a surprising amount of support from the people making their picks. The analysts are mostly expecting a close game but there's a decent amount of confidence the Bucs will be able to pull it out on the road. Here's what some of them are predicting the outcome on Monday night to be:
NFL.com – The Bucs are the favorites here, getting the nod from five of six experts
ESPN.com – A whopping 11 analysts were lined up for picks, and the Bucs edged it out, 6-5
CBSSports.com – Pete Prisco sees the home team winning in a low-scoring affair
USA Today – Five of six experts predict straight-up wins for the Bucs, but none by more than four points
Bleacher Report – Picking against the spread, five of seven analysts side with Tampa Bay
Pro Football Talk – In the same split as Week One, Mike Florio takes the Bucs, Chris Simms does not
Sports Illustrated – In what SI called out as a big upset pick, five of six pickers chose the Bucs
Sporting News – Even against the spread, the Bucs are the choice for analyst Vinnie Iyer
