It’s safe to say that Super Bowl hangover played a factor in Tampa Bay’s loss to Tennessee in last week’s preseason action, as the Buccaneers got steamrolled in 34-3 fashion. Obviously, Tom Brady did not get near the action, which meant that the likes of Kyle Trask and Blaine Gabbert got most of the snaps, but the problems that the defense showed also have to be worrying for Bruce Arians. If Brady goes down at all this season, the Bucs would be in real trouble at quarterback. They visit a Texans team coming in off a win over Dallas last week. The Deshaun Watson situation is still a mess in Houston, but the team seems to have put that distraction behind them, at least for now.
Don’t miss our NFL betting prediction for this Saturday night preseason matchup.
NFL Preview: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Houston Texans (August 28)
When: Saturday, August 28, 2021, 8:00 pm ET
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston
TV: No National Broadcast
Radio: WXTB 97.9 FM Tampa / KILT 610 AM Houston
Live Stream: FuboTV
NFL Odds: Tampa Bay -4 / O/U 36.5
Why should you bet on the Buccaneers?
Kyle Trask went just 13 of 26 for 131 yards and a pair of picks against the Titans. The running game did not go much better, as Ke’Shawn Vaughn was the team’s leading rusher – with 18 yards on nine attempts. Tanner Hudson led the team with six catches for 74 yards, and Cyril Grayson kicked in four catches for 57 yards. On defense, Grant Stuard had the best night, posting six solo tackles along with a sack. The pass rush for Tampa Bay was a highlight, as Joe Tryon and Patrick O’Connor joined Stuard in logging sacks.
Finding a backup for Brady has to be a priority for the Buccaneers in this third game. Ryan Griffin was the third quarterback on the depth chart at the start of the preseason, but he threw a pair of picks against Cincinnati in the team’s preseason opener. A lack of ball security is a sure way to get into Bruce Arians’ doghouse, and as the team focuses on locking down that depth chart at quarterback, competing against the Texans is likely to be a secondary concern at best.
Why should you put your money on the Texans?
Davis Mills had a decent night at quarterback when Houston took on Dallas, particularly when the reserves came out on defense. He was 10 of 16 for 115 yards, and tailback Mark Ingram II had 24 yards and a score. Quarterback Jeff Driskel ran for 23 yards himself. Chris Moore, Jordan Veasy and Keke Coutee all had at least 29 receiving yards in the win. On defense, Terrence Brooks had six solo tackles and eight total tackles. Garret Wallow and Tremon Smith posted five solo tackles apiece. Charles Omenihu had two sacks, and Jacob Martin, Roy Lopez and DeMarcus Walker all added a sack — and the defense picked off Dallas backup quarterback Ben DiNucci three times.
Houston looked plucky in grinding out that win. In their last five games as an underdog, they have covered four times. With Houston focused on generating positives while Tampa Bay looks to answer some questions at the bottom of the depth chart — and to simply be done with this preseason and get ready to the games that matter — it’s hard to argue that Tampa Bay is ready to come in and deliver a dominant win.
Final Score and Betting Prediction
Given that this will be a battle of reserves, I see Houston having a slight edge given they are playing in front of their home fans and given that they need the motivation that a preseason win over the Super Bowl champions would give them before what will be an unforgiving regular season. That four-point spread is a little rich given these conditions, and so I predict a final score of Texans 23, Buccaneers 20.
NFL Betting Odds
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