The Tampa Bay Buccaneers escaped their Week 1 clash with the Atlanta Falcons by the skin of their teeth, as Younghoe Koo missed a potential game-tying field goal that ensured the Bucs would hold on to win 23-20. It wasn’t a perfect game, but there’s no doubt that being 1-0 is better than being 0-1.
Things won’t exactly get any easier for Tampa Bay, as they will take on a tough Houston Texans team that is fresh off a disappointing loss of their own in Week 1. However, it seems like the Texans won’t be at full strength for this game, which could make the Buccaneers’ quest to pick up their second victory of the year a little bit more manageable.
Cade Stover, Jake Andrews Won’t Play for Texans vs. Buccaneers
Houston opened its 2025 campaign against the Los Angeles Rams, and they struggled to get much going on the offensive side of the ball. The Texans failed to find the end zone at all, settling for three field goals as their only source of points., It’s tough to win when you can’t score touchdowns, and sure enough, they ended up suffering an ugly 14-9 defeat.
You can bet the Texans are going to be extra motivated to get their first win of the season in Week 2. Doing so against the Buccaneers is going to be a tall task, as they have a plethora of talent on both sides of the ball. And with a pair of crushing injury updates, Houston’s task has quickly become a lot more difficult.
In their loss to the Rams, the Texans lost tight end Cade Stover and Jake Andrews along the way due to a pair of injuries. Stover is dealing with a foot injury, and Andrews picked up a knee injury. According to head coach DeMeco Ryans, both guys are going to miss time with their respective ailments, as they won’t take the field against the Bucs.
“Stover hurt his foot, so he’ll miss some time,” Ryans said on Tuesday. “I really hate that. He’s playing tough, physical, exactly how he wants it done. So, he’ll miss some time. We’ll have to upgrade our tight end room from that perspective. [Jake] Andrews rolled his ankle, so he’ll be day-to-day. We’ll see how that goes.”
Buccaneers Looking to Pounce on Shorthanded Texans
GettyBaker Mayfield #6 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reacts after defeating the Atlanta Falcons.
With Stover out, that means Dalton Schultz is going to have to step up at tight end for the Texans. And while Andrews isn’t expected to miss as much time as Stover, he’s not expected to be ready to play on Sunday, which would thrust Jarrett Patterson into action. While you never want to see players get injured in sports, it’s also worth noting that this figures to benefit the Buccaneers in Week 2.
It’s not as if Tampa Bay is at full health either, though, as they are missing a pair of key offensive players in wide receiver Chris Godwin and left tackle Tristan Wirfs. They managed to win without them in Week 1, and they will be looking to do the same in Week 2. The Bucs and Texans will square off on Sunday Night Football when they meet up for their second game of the new season.
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