In 2023, it was C.J. Stroud delivering the game-winning drive in the closing seconds.
Two years later, Baker Mayfield got his revenge.
Mayfield, who finished with 216 passing yards and two touchdowns, culminated an 11-play drive, capped off with a fourth-down conversion and two passes to Bucky Iriving to set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Rachaad White to cap off a 20-19 win for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the Houston Texans.
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History truly found a way to repeat itself, but with a different outcome. With the offense on the field, Mayfield found Cade Otten for a 14-yard touchdown pass with under a minute in 2023 to secure a 37-33 lead. Stroud then guided Houston downfield for a 6-yard touchdown pass to Tank Dell with six seconds remaining to give the Texans a 39-37 win.
White scored with six seconds left to give the Buccaneers another 2-0 start.
“We had multiple opportunities to win that game and we didn’t make the plays we needed to make,” Houston coach DeMeco Ryans said.
Pro Football Focus handed out player grades for those who took a snap in Houston’s loss against the Buccaneers and we broke them down by offense and defense. Below are the five highest and lowest grades on the offensive side of the ball after a surprising performance at Ford Field.
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There were a few surprises in terms of the highest- and lowest-graded players, both on offense and defense. In fact, most of you can already guess who graded out in stellar and horrendous fashion.
Here’s a look at the five best offensive players below:
Sep 15, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) makes a catch for a first down as Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum (27) defends at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
Top 5 offense
WR Xavier Hutchinson – 69.8
Ingram, who made his Texans’ debut, allowed just two pressures and didn’t record a stat. His pass-blocking grade of 69.8 marked the highest of all offensive linemen on the Texans’ staff.
Sep 15, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans high fives Houston Texans running back Dare Ogunbowale (33) before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
Bottom 5 offense
RB Dare Ogunbowale – 33.9
OL Laken Tomlinson – 51.2
TE Harrison Bryant – 54.7
Ogunbowale missed two blocks, resulting in a pair of sacks against Stroud, including one on third down. Bryant, who was elevated to the active roster, tripped over his foot on what would have been an easy first-down matchup, which probably factored into his 37.7 passing ranking.
Sep 15, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back Nick Chubb (21) rushes the ball for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
Other notables
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Both Erery and Howard actually graded out positively in pass protection with a 69.1 and 66.7, respectively. Higgins, who caught a 28-yard pass on third down, graded out with a 63.2 pass receiving grade.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans PFF grades: Top & Bottom offensive players in loss vs. Bucs