By Joshua Queipo,PewterReport.com
Copyright yardbarker
He found pulls, pins and traps to give his running backs lanes as the Bucs were averaging over 5 yards per carry throughout the first half. After not leaning into the screen game much in week one, Grizzard unloaded the clip in Houston, helping the Bucs offense find easy yards on early and late downs alike. Grizzard used pop passes and speed cuts to help Mayfield get the ball out early and not have to find out how well the offensive line could hold up. It was truly a masterclass when taking the context into consideration.
Just a week ago, Sean McVay with a much healthier offense got just 14 points against this Houston defense. Grizzard got the six more with a M*A*S*H unit and a kicking game that let him down. The Bucs offense ended the game with 169 yards on the ground and another 215 through the air while driving into scoring position four times. It wasn’t pretty. But it was gutsy. And impressive.
Bucs Run Game
Bucky Irving found his groove after a lackluster week one. He was cutting on a dime, factoring into the screen game and back to his sweet spot of forcing would-be tacklers to miss. Irving was moving both quickly and effortlessly. Irving helped relieve the pressure Houston’s defensive line placed on the Bucs offense with consistently solid gains. Irving rattled off 71 yards on 17 carries, averaging 4.2 yards per carry and added another 50 yards on six catches.
Rachaad White, not to be outdone, matched Irving yard for yard with 65 yards of his own on 10 carries and the crucial winning touchdown. His 7.0 yards per carry average came on several chunk runs as he ran through would-be tacklers and kept churning forward through contact.
Joining them in impressing on the night is the makeshift offensive line. Graham Barton, Michael Jordan, Ben Bredeson, Cody Mauch and Charlie Heck were able to blow the Texans’ defensive line off the line of scrimmage enough to keep the offense moving forward. It was a heroic effort from a group that had no business competing with the level of talent they were matched up against.
Todd Bowles’ Defensive Gameplan – And The Defense
Bowles just needed a better racecar. His defense held Houston’s running backs to only 57 yards on 15 carries and kept C.J. Stroud to just over 200 yards passing. The pass rush logged three sacks and the defense held on third down over and over. After two scoring drives to start the game, the Texans scored just 9 points the rest of the way, thanks to poor special teams play.
The Texans’ drives went like this:
20 yards – punt
22 yards – punt
19 yards – punt
-5 yards – punt
71 yards – goal line stand, turnover on downs
0 yards – field goal
The Bucs did surrender a touchdown on Houston’s final drive of the game, but the Texans started that drive on the Bucs’ 26-yard line. Bowles’ coverage schemes and pressure packages were excellent. Twice on third down, he dialed up perfect blitzes to sack Stroud and end drives. It was an incredible showing from the defensive mastermind who proved that when he has the right pieces, he is near unbeatable.
