Buccaneers vs. Texans: NFL preseason betting odds, preview, and pick

The Houston Texans look to close out the regular season undefeated, as they host the defending Super Bowl champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at NRG Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 28 at 8 p.m. ET.

Running back battle the focus for Houston in Week 3

Following their Week 2 win against a mostly backup-laden Cowboys lineup, the Texans earned a second straight preseason win, with a 20-14 victory at AT&T Stadium.

For the second consecutive game, 2021 third-round pick Davis Mills played the majority of minutes at quarterback for Houston and went 10-of-16 for 115 yards, while franchise QB Deshaun Watson remained sidelined.

Mills, Jeff Driskel, and Tyrod Taylor will likely rotate at quarterback again on Saturday, while the running backs will attempt to solidify their standing in a crowded rotation.  

Mark Ingram may be emerging as the lead running back in Houston, after he paced the team in rushing yards (24) and carries (seven). He also ran the ball in for a 2-yard touchdown in the first quarter. 

Former Denver Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay is currently listed first on the depth chart, while second-year player Scottie Phillips showed promise in Week 1 of the preseason with a 66-yard outing and a touchdown on 13 carries.

David Johnson, last year’s primary acquisition in the DeAndre Hopkins trade, ran the ball just once for a loss of one yard in the Green Bay game, and had no carries against Dallas.

Texans head coach David Culley said he liked the performances of Ingram and Lindsay against Dallas, but the competition is far from settled and will continue into the final week of the preseason.

On defense, new defensive coordinator Lovie Smith has sparked early improvement on that side of the ball.

In 2020, the defense recorded a league-worst nine takeaways across the regular season. Through two preseason games in 2021, the unit has tallied seven, including three interceptions (one of which was returned for a touchdown) and a forced fumble against Dallas.

Buccaneers starters will finally see significant action 

While the Texans appear on the rise, Saturday will present the upstart team its greatest challenge, as the Bucs plan to play many of their starters for the first half.

In their second loss of the preseason — a 34-3 dud against the Titans — most of the first string sat out the contest, after it saw extremely limited action in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians indicated the Bucs starters need more game-like experience before the team kicks off the 2021 regular season on Thursday Night Football against Dallas on Sept. 9. 

"(The starters are) going a half next week because we’re going so long before we play... We can’t go against Dallas, who is really good, and all of a sudden play game speed."

With many of the Bucs' starters expected to compete on defense this week, that should spell trouble for the Texans’ backup quarterbacks. Houston was blitzed often by Dallas, and Tampa Bay should do the same.

The Texans also went a combined 0-10 on third down against Dallas’ backups.

Texans and Buccaneers trends

• The Under has hit in five of Houston's last seven games
• David Culley is 2-0 SU in his two games as an NFL head coach
• Bruce Arians is 12-15 all time in the preseason
• Arians is 4-2 all time in the final week of the preseason
• Tampa Bay is 0-2 SU in the 2021 preseason

Bucs will send Texans back to reality

The Bucs' backups looked shaky in Weeks 1 and 2 of the preseason, but with the first-string offense set to shine in the first half, Houston’s new-look defense should have its hands full.

When the backups step in during the second half, the Texans might be able to pull close to Tampa Bay. But the final result will go the way of the Buccaneers.

Look for the starters from last year’s Super Bowl team to send the Texans crashing back to earth in the final tune-up before the regular season.

Score prediction: Buccaneers 21, Texans 14

NFL Preseason Pick: Bucs -4