Buccaneers vs Texans live stream: How to watch 2021 NFL preseason game online

Buccaneers vs Texans live stream
(Image credit: Douglas P. DeFelice and Jason Miller / Getty)

The Buccaneers vs Texans live stream will be treated like a classic “dress rehearsal” by Houston, as Tampa uses this NFL live stream as a wind down and tryout for players on the bubble. 

Buccaneers vs Texans channel, start time

The Buccaneers vs Texans live stream is today (Saturday, August 28) at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
It will be broadcast to the Tampa Bay market on NBC 8 and to the Houston market on ABC-13.

But we've got some bad news. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh just joined three of his teammates (kicker Ryan Succop, plus offensive linemen Earl Watford and Nick Leverett) on the reserve/COVID-19 list. All four players were added this week.

First-year Texans’ head coach David Culley hasn’t seen enough from this first team heading into their final preseason game. Tyrod Taylor is the favorite to be the starting quarterback when their season gets underway on September 12, but he’s only thrown nine passes this preseason. “The plan is to try and take [the starters] into the third quarter,” Culley told the media Monday, “[We want] to see how they handle adjustments from the first to the second half.”

Taylor and rookie third-round pick Davis Mills have filled in well under center while franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson is handling his legal issues, with more than 20 woman accusing him of sexual misconduct. 

Taylor, a 10-year veteran, has started both preseason games for Houston and played minimally. Mills is a rookie third-round pick who has improved over his first two pro games. He’s coming off a performance against the Cowboys that saw him tally 115 yards through the air, completing 10 of his 16 passes. With Taylor expected to play the majority of the game against Tampa, he will likely look to build chemistry with veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks, who has only played in one preseason game to this point, catching two passes.

Defending Super Bowl Champions the Buccaneers seem to be winding down their preseason and eyeing this game as a way to decide position battles, as opposed to building any momentum. Regardless of who is playing for the Bucs and for how long, one thing head coach Bruce Arians wants to see is ball security. Tampa fumbled the football an astounding six times last week against the Titans, but fortunately for them only one resulted in a turnover.  

Tampa will be without kicker Ryan Succop for this game. The 34-year-old veteran tested positive for COVID-19.  

The Texans are 4-point home underdogs against the Buccaneers. The over/under is 36.5 points. 


How to watch Buccaneers vs Texans live stream with a VPN

ExpressVPN

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NFL streaming tip:

If you're away from home and so can't watch the Buccaneers vs Texans live stream, you can still see the game. Using the best VPN makes it so that you can appear to be surfing the web from your home town, so you can access the same streaming services you already pay for.

Here's how easy it is to stream NFL from anywhere in the world:

1. Get a VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN as the best out there)
2. Connect to the location you want to stream from
3. Use your usual streaming service and watch like normal

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Buccaneers vs Texans live streams in the US

In the US, the Buccaneers vs Texans live stream is going to be broadcast at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT today (Saturday, August 28). It will be broadcast to the Tampa Bay market on NBC 8 and to the Houston market on ABC-13.

This week's games (all times ET)

Vikings vs Chiefs live stream (Aug. 27 @ 8 p.m.)
Packers vs Bills live stream (Aug. 28 @ 1 p.m.)
Jaguars vs Cowboys live stream (Aug. 29 @ 1 p.m.)
Patriots vs Giants live stream (Aug. 29 @ 6 p.m.)
Browns vs Falcons live stream (Aug. 29 @ 8 p.m.)

If FOX, ESPN, NBC and NFL Network have typically been enough to get you all the football you need, you could rely on Sling (which doesn't include CBS or NFL RedZone). You can get CBS NFL games via Paramount Plus, if you want.

The more comprehensive package comes from Fubo TV, as it has all five of the main channels you'll want: CBS, ESPN, FOX, NBC and the NFL Network. That's why it's one of the best streaming services.

It's a case of "you get what you pay for" as Sling Orange & Blue (which you'd need to get ESPN, FOX, NBC and NFL Network) costs $50 per month, while the Fubo TV Standard package gives you all of the above, for $65 per month.

Fubo.TV:a 7-day free trial

Fubo.TV: One of the best streaming services with the NFL Network, and the top pick for watching all of the 2021 NFL live streams, Fubo has all of the right network channels and the two cable channels you don't want to go without. Who needs cable? Not Fubo subscribers. It's got a 7-day free trial so you don't need to pay up front.

Sling TV

If you can stand to miss CBS games, Sling TV provides a middle ground. The $50 per month Sling Orange + Blue package has FOX affiliates, local NBC affiliates and ESPN.

NFL Sunday Ticket: No pre-season games are included, so the Buccaneers vs Texans game won't be on NFL Sunday Ticket.

How to watch Buccaneers vs Texans live streams for free

If you just want to watch on your phone, the Yahoo Sports app for iOS and Android gives away every NFL game that's broadcast in your local TV market to your smartphone or tablet for free. This appears to include preseason games, but we can't find specific confirmation for this game.

Yes, that includes Monday Night Football and Thursday Night Football. You can also sign in to your NFL Game Pass subscription and stream it from the Yahoo app.

With one of our best TV antenna picks you can watch live if — and only if — your local FOX affiliate is showing Buccaneers vs Texans.

Buccaneers vs Texans live streams in the UK

American football fans across the pond cannot watch Buccaneers vs Texans on Sky Sports, the typical home to more than 100 live games per NFL season.

The Buccaneers vs Texans live stream starts at 1 a.m. BST Sunday morning. 

Americans abroad could just use the service of their choice, provided they log in via a VPN such as ExpressVPN.

Also, the NFL Game Pass can be purchased for $99 and will allow you to live stream 28 preseason football games. This is ONLY for NFL Preseason games. You cannot live stream NFL regular season games using NFL Game Pass.

Buccaneers vs Texans live streams in Canada

Get in, folks, we're going to Da Zone. Or to be more specific, Canadian football fans will need DAZN to watch Buccaneers vs Texans live streams in Canada. DAZN is trying to get GamePass rights, but that has not been announced yet.

DAZN is also the home of live Champions League soccer games. Plus, Canadians get a 30-day free trial of DAZN here.

Buccaneers vs Texans live stream — VPN statement

Marc Farzetta

Marc is a contributing sportswriter at Tom’s Guide covering the NFL, NBA and MLB as well as various other leagues. He is a graduate of Temple University where he studied Broadcasting and Journalism. Marc’s previous stops include the Trenton Times and NBC Sports Philadelphia. He also worked on the production crew of NBC Sunday Night Football for 11 seasons. When not working, Marc is probably sipping his next espresso to get him ready for more work.