C.J. Stroud throws five TDs and Bucs blow late lead to Texans When Baker Mayfield threw a touchdown pass to tight end Cade Otton to give the Bucs a four-point lead over the Texans with 46 seconds remaining Sunday, it looked like the horror that had been a three-game losing streak would end with a much-needed "W." It wouldn't matter if they had been pushed to the limit and escaped with their lives into the sunset from NRG Stadium. "You never expect a team, especially with that little time, to come back and win," Mayfield said. "But it comes back to the critical things and just not celebrating too early on the sidelines. At that point, yeah, we did everything we could in that time period. Just trying to support our guys. And yeah, it can take the breath out of you." If you think the Bucs have stunk it up before, you may want to avert your noses to the rot that was Tampa Bay's defense under head coach Todd Bowles on Sunday. Not only did C.J. Stroud set an NFL rookie record with 470 passing yards, he also fired five touchdown passes. The last was a 15-yard dart to receiver Tank Dell for the game-winner with 6 seconds left in a 39-37 win. It was the fourth straight loss for the Bucs (3-5) after a 3-1 start and one of the most disheartening in recent memory. Tampa Bay also fell a game and a half behind the NFC South-leading Saints (5-4). Afterward, the team that had scored 37 points in their previous three games was left to explain how they scored 37 against the Texans and blew it. "It's a devastating loss, no doubt about it," Bowles said. "We've all got to eat it. All of us feel the same way, especially me. I've been coaching a long time. I haven't been involved in too many of these where it's been back and forth like that and came down on the other end where a few things happened. "We've got to eat it, and we should be pissed off all week. We own it. They scored more than enough points on offense to do it. Defensively, the fundamentals and the technique and breakdowns at the end of the ball game and start of the third quarter are unacceptable." Not only did the Bucs blow a pair of second-half leads - they also led 20-10 in the third quarter - the defense demonstrated no means of slowing Stroud, the sensational rookie from Ohio State. Even more laughable was the fact the Texans were playing with one leg tied behind their backs. It belonged to place-kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn, who made a 50-yard field goal at the end of the first half before leaving with a quad injury. That meant backup running back Dare Ogunbowale, who spent parts of three seasons with the Bucs and was released five times by them, fulfilled the Texans' kicking duties. Despite trailing, the Texans scrapped the kicking game and went for it on a fourth-down play. They also attempted four, two-point conversions (kneeling on the last), making one when Stroud ran it in. But the Bucs still couldn't stop the Texans. In fact, they let Ogunbowale kick a go-ahead, 29-yard field goal to give Houston a 33-30 lead with 8:45 remaining. Whenever the Bucs tried to take control, the defense seemed happy to escort Stroud's receivers through the end zone. On the first play from scrimmage after Chase McLaughlin's 49-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 10-point, third-quarter lead, Bowles' defense allowed a 75-yard touchdown pass to Noah Brown. "We didn't play good fundamentals or technique," Bowles said. "We busted some things that we do every day in practice. If you can't do that, you can't play in this game." Bowles tried to improve the pass defense, inserting Dee Delaney for struggling safety Ryan Neal on obvious passing downs. But too often, he was content to let Stroud sit in the pocket all day and rip the secondary apart. Even when the Texans drove to the Tampa Bay 41 and had to spike the football with no timeouts and 16 seconds remaining, Bowles didn't go after him. "If we did what we were supposed to do," Bowles insisted, "we would've been fine playing zone." Afterward, the Bucs dressed quickly and quietly, occasionally talking in hushed tones. Safety Antoine Winfield Jr., had three tackles and a fumble recovery but dropped an interception, said there was no excuse for allowing the inning drive to go 75 yards in six plays. "We've got to close that out," Winfield said. "We've got to be better on defense. That's on us. We've got to make plays at the end. The game is on the line. They've got no timeouts. We've just got to make better plays." Cornerback Zyon McCollum, who played most of the game after Jamel Dean left with a concussion, said it was the kind of loss that can have negative consequences for the locker room. "This is going to tear us apart or this is going to bring us closer together, and we have to come together," McCollum said. "We have to find an identity. It doesn't matter who it's coming from. It doesn't matter where it's coming from. We have to find an identity, and we have to play together as one. We can't separate." The pressure now will mount for Bowles, who doubles as the Bucs' defensive play-caller. Will he fire himself from that role? "No," he said. "That's not on the table right now." Rick Stroud, The Tampa Bay Times, published 6 November 2023