Texans Face One Key Storyline vs. Buccaneers on MNF

The Houston Texans enter their Week 2 primetime bout vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hoping to right the wrongs of last week's season opener loss on the road against the Los Angeles Rams.

This week, the Texans will be on their home turf for the first time this year, facing the bright lights in their home opener of a new season, perhaps offering the perfect stage for a bounce-back performance– even if the 1-0 Bucs may present a challenging test on both ends of the field.

But for the Texans, a lot of responsibility for how Monday night unravels falls upon what the offense can put together.

Last Sunday, the Texans were one of only three teams in the NFL to not score a Week 1 touchdown, joining the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants to be limited to nine points on the day, making this week critical to get right for C.J. Stroud and Co. to set the narrative straight.

Thus, as NFL.com's Christian Gonzales outlined the key storyline to watch ahead of the Texans' Monday night showdown vs. the Bucs, that idea centered around one overarching theme: "Can the Texans offense get going?"

"Houston certainly had a problem with its start to the season and don't look any further along, with C.J. Stroud feeling the same way," Gonzales wrote. "After last week's loss to the Rams, Stroud called out the Texans' performance for "lollygagging" on their approach for Week 1. Houston racked up 11 penalties, including some during crucial moments, that disrupted any kind of rhythm for the offense. How Stroud and the Texans respond will get some spotlight in prime time."

"Houston was undermanned in Week 1 with veteran receiver Christian Kirk, running back Joe Mixon and guard Ed Ingram dealing with injuries; only Ingram will return in Week 2. Star wideout Nico Collins only had five targets in the loss, but told reporters this week that he believes the Texans will get back on track. Even though there are new pieces involved in the offense, the Texans would like to avoid an 0-2 start before more problems begin piling up in Houston."

The Texans have found themselves subject to a barrage of injury troubles to begin the year, especially on the offensive end when looking at guys like Christian Kirk and Joe Mixon dating back to the preseason. However, there's still enough potency in this Houston scoring unit to make up for those losses– most notably in number-one receiver Nico Collins.

But those offensive lapses span further than injuries or a lack of touches for Collins in Week 1. Mistakes upfront on the offensive line caused either consistent pressure for Stroud or penalties that put this offense in multiple negative, long-yardage situations, which kept this offense in disarray throughout the day.