In a nail-biting encounter, the Houston Texans secured a thrilling 39-37 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, with running back Dare Ogunbowale stealing the spotlight by kicking a crucial field goal. His remarkable feat made him the first non-kicker or punter to achieve this in a regular-season NFL game in 19 years.
The Texans’ game plan was disrupted when their kicker, Ka’imi Fairbairn, suffered an injury and was unable to continue in the second half. This unforeseen turn of events forced Ogunbowale to step up and take on the place-kicking duties for the team.
With the score tied at 30-30 in the fourth quarter, Ogunbowale seized the opportunity and successfully converted a 29-yard field goal, sparking jubilant celebrations on the Texans’ sideline. Special teams coordinator Frank Ross rushed onto the field to join in the excitement.
Texans’ head coach DeMeco Ryans praised Ogunbowale for his crucial role in the game, stating, “You lose your kicker, that’s tough. What are you going to do? Your whole game plan changes. Dare, he stepped up big time for us. For him to be able to kickoff as many times as he did… and also for him to kick the field goal — we were confident he could make it from there, and he proved us right. Credit to Dare, he’s truly the player of the game.”
Ogunbowale’s remarkable contribution was complemented by an outstanding performance from rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, who set a single-game rookie record with 470 passing yards. With less than a minute left on the clock and his team trailing 37-33, Stroud orchestrated a remarkable final drive, culminating in a touchdown pass to Tank Dell, his fifth of the day, securing the thrilling victory.
The Texans improved their record to 4-4, and Stroud acknowledged the significance of the win, saying, “It’s a big-time win for us. We’ve got a lot of work to put in.”
