Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Houston Texans Match Player Stats On Sep 27, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Sep 27, 2015

HOUSTON -- Ryan Mallett threw for 228 yards and a touchdown and Alfred Blue rushed for 139 yards and a score on Sunday as the Houston Texans posted their first victory of the season with a 19-9 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins caught eight passes for 101 yards and had his third touchdown reception in as many games.

Houston's defense held its opponent below 10 points for the first time this season.

Tampa Bay rookie quarterback Jameis Winston threw for a career-high 261 yards, going 17 of 36 with a touchdown and an interception. Wide receiver Mike Evans caught seven passes for 101 yards for Tampa Bay (1-2).

Buccaneers kicker Kyle Brindza missed three field goal attempts in the second half after nailing a 58-yarder in the first half. In two of those instances, the misses could have given Tampa Bay the lead.

Brindza also missed an extra-point attempt in the second quarter.

Brindza wasn't the only kicker who struggled on NRG Stadium's recently installed artificial surface.

Randy Bullock missed a field goal try in the second quarter for the Texans (1-2) and failed to convert the extra point try after Blue's touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Mallett finished 24 of 39 for 228 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Blue's 20-yard touchdown run with 9:19 left was his longest of the game and iced the victory for the Texans. His 139 yards came on 31 carries.

Bullock's 19-yard field goal capped the scoring for the Texans with 1:12 left in the game.

With the Buccaneers trailing 10-9 midway through the third quarter, Winston appeared to connect with wide receiver Vincent Jackson for a 23-yard touchdown. But Houston challenged the play and officials reversed the call to bring about fourth-and-6 from the Houston 23, setting the stage for Brindza's first field goal miss, a 41-yarder that went wide right.

Brindza failed to deliver again with 10:59 to go in the game, sending a 33-yard attempt wide right, much to the frustration of many of his teammates. He missed another try, a 57-yarder, in the final minute of the game.

The Texans caught a break to start the second half.

Trailing by two, Quentin Demps intercepted Winston at the Houston 45, and a face-mask penalty on the ensuing play -- a 14-yard rush by Blue -- set the stage for Bullock's 39-yard field goal and the 10-9 lead with 12:42 in the third quarter.

It was redemption for Bullock, who missed a 43-yard attempt late in the second quarter, bouncing it off the right upright.

The Buccaneers struggled offensively in the first half, with Winston looking frazzled at times.

The rookie even drew a delay of game penalty on the Bucs' first drive, one of five penalties by Tampa Bay in the first half.

Making his second straight start after opening the season on the bench, Mallett connected with Hopkins for a 5-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 5:02 left in the first quarter.

Brindza put the Buccaneers on the board, nailing a 58-yard field goal to cap their first drive of the second quarter and cut Houston's lead to four.

Brindza later missed an extra point attempt after running back Charles Sims gave Tampa Bay the lead with a 32-yard touchdown catch with 4:01 left in the first half.

NOTES: The Texans were without RB Arian Foster (groin surgery) and OT Duane Brown (hand), but Hopkins saw action despite missing practice earlier in the week with concussion symptoms. ... Tampa Bay was without TE Austn Seferian-Jenkins, who is out at least four weeks with a shoulder injury.