Buccaneers' Carlton Davis: Sunday Loss to Houston Texans is 'A Nightmare Come True'

One Tampa Bay player in particular was not pleased with his performance in Sunday's loss to the Houston Texans.

The Houston Texans saw a huge performance from rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud on Sunday, but some analysts have focused more on the lackluster showing from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers secondary as a takeaway from the game.

Tampa cornerback Carlton Davis was beaten for three scores in the Texans' 39-37 comeback win, including the game-winner that went from Stroud to Tank Dell with six seconds remaining. Former Buccaneer and NFL star Ronde Barber recently said that the secondary's performance made it look like the worst in the league, and Davis didn't disagree.

In short, he's not pleased with himself after Sunday's loss.

“It’s like a nightmare come true,” Davis said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “So anything concerning our performance negatively, [Barber’s] probably right. We watched the film together and we felt just so nasty. It was the worst to even watch. Like I didn’t even want to watch it. I almost wanted to close my eyes. But it’s part of life, it happened. You’ve got to own up to it and we’re not going to shy away from what happened.”

Oct 22, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis III (24) talks to line judge Maia Chaka (100) after a play against the Atlanta Falcon in the third quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports / © Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Texans have obviously made strides forward this season, already surpassing their win total from 2022 with four wins so far this campaign. A large part of that has to do with Stroud who set a new rookie record for passing yards in a single game on Sunday with 470. 

Last season, it was the Texans living this "nightmare come true" with a 3-13-1 final record. Now, in less than a calendar year, Stroud and this young core of playmakers have seemed to turn the tables on other teams in the league, including Davis and the Bucs. Life changes quickly in the NFL.

This week, the Texans will look to keep this positive momentum rolling, but they have a stiff road test when they travel to face the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Kickoff is slated for 12 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on CBS.