Houston
Texans
2-14
10
FINAL
27
Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
14-2
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a decisive Week 18 showdown, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers topped the Houston Texans with a final score of 27-10, clinching a crucial victory as the regular season draws to a close. With playoff implications on the line, the Buccaneers proved their mettle against a Texans squad looking to build momentum.
Baker Mayfield was the standout performer for Tampa Bay, throwing for three touchdowns and leading his team efficiently through the air. C.J. Stroud put up a respectable 251 passing yards for the Texans, with Tank Dell emerging as a reliable target, racking up 105 receiving yards. However, it was Kenny Gainwell’s steady ground game, contributing 53 rushing yards, that helped maintain the Buccaneers' offensive rhythm.
Defensively, the Buccaneers were formidable, with Bobby Okereke leading the charge with eight total tackles. The turning point came when Jacob Parrish intercepted a pass from Stroud, shifting momentum firmly in Tampa Bay's favor. Demonte Capehart added pressure with a sack, ensuring the Texans' offense struggled to find its footing, ultimately sealing the game for the home team.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.J. Stroud | QB | 46 | 25 | 54% | 251 | 0 | 2 | 51.9 |
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 29 | 19 | 66% | 180 | 3 | 0 | 117.0 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenny Gainwell | HB | 8 | 53 | 6.6 | 21 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| Bucky Irving | HB | 14 | 44 | 3.1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Keaton Mitchell | HB | 10 | 41 | 4.1 | 22 | 1 | 28 | 0 |
| C.J. Stroud | QB | 2 | 28 | 14.0 | 22 | 0 | 25 | 1 |
| Cris McMullen | HB | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | — | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Bauer Sharp | TE | 3 | 4 | 1.3 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Tavarius Chaney | HB | 3 | 4 | 1.3 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Woody Marks | HB | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Cade Otton | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dalton Schultz | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tank Dell | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tank Dell | WR | 8 | 105 | 13.1 | 28 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Bo Melton | WR | 5 | 74 | 14.8 | 15 | 1 | 29 | 0 |
| Dalton Schultz | TE | 5 | 58 | 11.6 | 19 | 0 | 28 | 2 |
| Nico Collins | WR | 6 | 56 | 9.3 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Chris Godwin Jr | WR | 3 | 30 | 10.0 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Bauer Sharp | TE | 2 | 28 | 14.0 | 8 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 3 | 20 | 6.7 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 1 |
| Cade Otton | TE | 4 | 15 | 3.8 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Kenny Gainwell | HB | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Woody Marks | HB | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Tavarius Chaney | HB | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Jayden Higgins | WR | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Keaton Mitchell | HB | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Cade Stover | TE | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Parrish | CB | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr | FS | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bobby Okereke | MIKE | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Anderson Jr | LEDG | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keionte Scott | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Calen Bullock | FS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Azeez Al-Shaair | MIKE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derek Stingley Jr | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josiah Trotter | MIKE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tykee Smith | SS | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Demonte Capehart | DT | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zyon McCollum | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kamari Lassiter | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Pitre | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reed Blankenship | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| JD Bertrand | SAM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Taylor Rapp | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SirVocea Dennis | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jaylin Smith | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kayden McDonald | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wade Woodaz | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Logan Hall | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| David Walker | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Braswell | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elijah Roberts | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rueben Bain Jr. | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Calijah Kancey | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dalton Johnson | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harrison Phillips | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kamari Ramsey | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Danielle Hunter | REDG | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamal Hill | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase McLaughlin | K | 2 | 2 | 3 | 50 |
| Ka'imi Fairbairn | K | 1 | 1 | 1 | 37 |

