Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Texans can clinch AFC South with win over Buccaneers

Published Dec. 19, 2019 1:14 p.m. ET

HOUSTON (9-5) at TAMPA BAY (7-7)

Saturday, 1 p.m. ET, NFL Network

OPENING LINE — pick-em

RECORD VS. SPREAD — Houston 7-7, Tampa Bay 5-8-1

SERIES RECORD — Texans lead 3-1

LAST MEETING — Texans beat Buccaneers 19-9, Sept. 27, 2015

LAST WEEK — Texans beat Titans 24-21; Buccaneers beat Lions 38-17

AP PRO32 RANKING — Texans No. 10, Buccaneers No. 16

TEXANS OFFENSE — OVERALL (7), RUSH (7), PASS (11).

TEXANS DEFENSE — OVERALL (28), RUSH (19), PASS (28).

BUCCANEERS OFFENSE — OVERALL (3), RUSH (T27), PASS (1).

BUCCANEERS DEFENSE — OVERALL (15), RUSH (1), PASS (30).

STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — Texans can clinch playoff berth and second straight AFC South championship with victory. Would join Patriots and Chiefs as only teams with four or more division titles since 2015. ... QB Deshaun Watson returns to Raymond James Stadium to play for first time since leading Clemson to victory over Alabama in national championship game three years ago next month. ... WR DeAndre Hopkins leads Texans with 99 receptions for 1,142 yards and seven touchdowns. Needs one catch to join Andre Johnson as only Texans with 100-plus receptions in consecutive seasons. ... RB Carlos Hyde (1,030 yards, five TDs) will test NFL’s No. 1-ranked rushing defense. ... Bucs QB Jameis Winston leads NFL with 4,573 passing yards, second with 30 TD passes, three behind Lamar Jackson. Also leads league with 24 interceptions, five of which have been returned for TDs. ... Winston has topped 450 yards passing past two weeks, becoming first player in league history to do so in consecutive games. ... Pro Bowl WR Mike Evans (hamstring) was placed on injured reserve this week, and fellow 1,000-yard receiver Chris Godwin (hamstring) likely will be missing, too, from the NFL’s top-ranked passing attack. WR Breshad Perriman will be counted on to take up some slack. He has 24 receptions for 409 yards and five TDs, with most of that production coming in past two weeks. ... OLB Shaquil Barrett leads NFL with 16½ sacks, which matches Hall of Famer Warren Sapp’s Bucs single-season record. Fantasy tip: Texans receiver Hopkins had two TD catches last week vs. Titans. Had seven catches for 180 yards and one TD for Dolphins last time he faced Bucs in 2017.