Shorthanded and trailing late, Bucs pull off spectacular comeback Remember this one. If this turns out to be a special season for Tampa Bay, this game will be a huge part of the story. Playing without both of their offensive tackles, two of their receivers and a defensive tackle, the Bucs used a makeshift game plan to come from behind in the final two minutes and beat the Texans 20-19 in Houston on Monday night. Tampa Bay's high-flying offense was forced to tone down the usual theatrics and rely on the running game after Luke Goedeke left the game with a foot injury in the first quarter. And Todd Bowles dialled up a variety of aggressive blitzes to hound Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud with Calijah Kancey heading to the locker room in the first half with a pectoral injury. Despite two spectacular special teams blunders - a blocked punt that led to a field goal and a 53-yard punt return that set up Houston's final touchdown - the Bucs played mostly error-free football while milking the clock and keeping the score close. Play of the day Mayfield was banged up and missing two of his offensive linemen. The Bucs were trailing by five points, had less than 90 seconds remaining and were facing fourth and 10. In other words, it was a perfect time for Mayfield magic. The Bucs quarterback saw open field and scrambled 15 yards to keep the drive alive. Six plays later, the Bucs scored the winning touchdown. Game ball Rachaad White has been mostly a forgotten man since Bucky Irving took over as Tampa Bay's No. 1 running back. To his credit, White has kept his head down and done what was asked of him. And on Monday night, he was asked to rescue the Bucs. White rushed for 65 yards, made a key fumble recovery and scored the winning touchdown with six seconds remaining. Keep an eye on I'm a few years shy of a medical degree, but losing Kancey to a pectoral injury is not good news. Even minor pec injuries can take several weeks to heal. If it is a rupture that requires surgery, it could be months. Greg Gaines filled in for Kancey early last season and did OK. Gaines, who was a starter with the Rams in 2021-22, had a sack against the Texans on Monday night. NFC South update Let's see a show of hands: Who is surprised that half of the winless teams in the NFC are from the South division? Yes, the Saints and Panthers are a combined 0-4. That's the good news for the Bucs. The bad news is the difficult win over the Falcons last week was not a fluke. Atlanta looked pretty dominant in a 22-6 win in Minnesota on Sunday night. The Falcons are going to be a problem all year. Up next Unlock the gates and load the cannon. In Week 3, the Bucs are finally back at Raymond James. And wasn't it nice of the NFL to invite the Jets as the first opponent? New York is 0-2 and the defense has surrendered 30 or more points in each game. John Romano, Tampa Bay Times, published 16 September 2025