The Buccaneers went 65 yards in nine plays on their first drive of Monday Night Football.
Tampa Bay tied Houston 7-7 on Ryan Miller’s 20-yard touchdown reception.
Miller was Baker Mayfield’s third read on the play, and the receiver beat safety Calen Bullock in scoring his third career touchdown.
The Bucs overcame an offensive pass interference on Mike Evans, who pushed off Bullock for a 19-yard reception to the Houston 1.
Mayfield was 4-of-6 for 55 yards on the drive, with five different receivers catching passes.
Bucky Irving ran for 16 yards on two carries.
One of the NFL’s storylines for Week 2 was created by the league, given its position that for, all Sunday and Monday games, the home teams would decide whether to replicate the mandated Green Bay moment of silence acknowledging last week’s assassination of Charlie Kirk.
On Monday night, the Texans opted not to specifically mention Kirk, but to have a broader moment of silence within 30 minutes or so prior to the commencement of the Tampa Bay-Houston game.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the P.A. announcer said during a statement that was televised by the ESPN pregame show, “we are asking all fans to join us in a moment of silence to honor all victims of violence and natural disasters across the country. It is our hope that together we can end all forms of violence.”
Texas was the site of horrendous flash flooding in July 2025, which killed at least 125 people.
On Sunday, six of the 13 games included moments of silence mentioning Kirk. Seven did not. The Raiders host the Chargers later tonight to conclude Week 2.
The Texans had no touchdowns in a Week 1 loss to the Rams. They wasted no time in scoring a touchdown Monday night.
Nico Collins made a spectacular catch in the end zone, dragging both feet for a 29-yard touchdown only 3:07 into the game. The Texans lead 7-0.
C.J. Stroud looked off safety Antoine Winfield and then threw a perfect pass to Collins, who had only a step on Zyon McCollum.
Stroud went 3-of-4 for 65 yards.
Nick Chubb took a screen 25 yards, and he had a third down conversion with a 1-yard run on the third play.
The Texans had no plays of 25 yards or more last week. They made two in their first six plays Monday.
Buccaneers right tackle Luke Goedeke was questionable to play in Monday Night Football, but he is active.
The Bucs and Texans released their inactive list 90 minutes before the 7 p.m. ET kickoff.
Goedeke missed two practices last week before returning to a limited session Saturday. He passed a pregame assessment by the team’s medical staff.
He injured his foot in the team’s season-opening win over the Falcons.
The Bucs’ inactives are wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. (foot), wide receiver Tez Johnson, running back Josh Williams, safety Rashad Wisdom, left tackle Tristan Wirfs (knee) and tight end Devin Culp.
However, safety Christian Izien (oblique) and rookie cornerback Benjamin Morrison (quad) are set to make their 2025 debuts after missing Week 1.
The Texans’ inactives are running back Dameon Pierce, wide receiver Christian Kirk (hamstring), wide receiver Braxton Berrios (hamstring), quarterback Graham Mertz, center Jake Andrews (ankle) and defensive tackle Tommy Togiai. Pierce is a healthy scratch.
The Buccaneers elevated offensive lineman Michael Jordan from the practice squad for Monday Night Football, the team announced. He will start at left guard again this week.
The team elevated Jordan before the Week 1 victory over the Falcons, and he played all 58 snaps.
The Bucs signed Jordan on July 24, and although he didn’t make the roster, the team re-signed him to the practice squad.
He has one more elevation before the Bucs will have to sign him to the active roster to get him on the game-day roster.
Jordan has appeared in 68 career games, including 41 starts, for the Bengals (2019–20), Panthers (2021–22), Patriots (2024) and Buccaneers (2025). He originally entered the league as a fourth-round selection of the Bengals in 2019.
