National outlet predicts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to repeat a familiar and painful setback from 2023 as their first loss in 2025
The Bucs will need a far better defensive effort this time around.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a rough go of things in stretches at different times during all three of Todd Bowles’ years as head coach of the team.
That included during 2023, when Tampa Bay went on a stretch of four straight losses and six of seven during the middle of the season. The fourth loss was a particularly notable and tough one, as the Bucs blew a late lead and allowed then-rookie QB C.J. Stroud to march the Texans downfield quickly for a 15-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Tank Dell with 6 seconds left for a Houston 39-37 win. Stroud and the Texans absolutely shredded the Bucs’ defense with 470 passing yards and 5 touchdowns.
CBS Sports NFL writer John Breech sees history repeating itself for Tampa Bay in 2025. He picked when each team would lose its first game, and he has the Bucs losing to Houston in Week 2 after winning the opener at Atlanta.
This is what Breech had to say about the Bucs’ opener against the Falcons:
“The Buccaneers are 3-0 in their past three road openers and that includes an impressive 20-16 win over the Lions last season, which was one of just two losses that Detroit suffered during the regular season. Michael Penix Jr.’s will be making just the fourth start of his career and it will be coming against a seasoned Buccaneers team. This feels like a Tampa Bay win.”
However, Breech sees Tristan Wirfs’ absence as a key reason why Tampa Bay falls the next week:
“In Week 1, the Texans are getting a Rams team that likely won’t have starting left tackle Alaric Jackson. In Week 2, they’re getting a Bucs team that likely won’t have starting left tackle Tristan Wirfs. The Houston defense is going to feast early in the season.”
There’s no doubt that Houston is a formidable foe, as they’re back-to-back AFC South champions. And the Texans’ pass rush is strong on both sides with Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson, Jr. But their offense was a bit of a mess at times last year due to iffy offensive line play, so turnabout could be fair play for the Bucs’ defense against Stroud and the Texans when they have the ball.
It’s a tough opening stretch, and coming home 1-1 wouldn’t be a bad result at all for the Bucs, particularly if that win came against division foe Atlanta. But going 2-0 isn’t out of the possibility either – that is, if the Bucs can avoid a repeat of their disastrous defensive performance the last time they ventured into Houston.
