TAMPA - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers dropped to 0-2 for the first time in 12 years Sunday, falling to the Cleveland Browns 23-19 at Raymond James Stadium after a 132-minute lightning delay could not slow a Cleveland offense that outplayed Tampa Bay when it mattered most.
With the Buccaneers trailing by four points late and a chance to win, quarterback Baker Mayfield threw a fade ball to rookie Ted Hurst III in the corner of the end zone, but Hurst could not haul it in through a torrential downpour with a defender draped over him. A subsequent holding penalty pushed Tampa Bay back further, and a final pass to Emeka Egbuka fell incomplete, sealing the loss.
“Too many penalties, offensively,” said Head Coach Todd Bowles. “Too many missed tackles in the second half defensively. Nobody is coming to save us. We’ve got to fix ourselves and we’ve got to fix it in a hurry.”
Mayfield finished 21 of 34 passes for 182 yards, connecting with Egbuka for a touchdown in the third quarter that gave Tampa Bay a 10-point cushion. The Buccaneers’ lone scoring drive of the day covered 65 yards on nine plays, featuring a 24-yard gain by Chris Godwin Jr. and a Mayfield scramble on third-and-nine before his five-yard touchdown dart to Egbuka. Kicker Chase McLaughlin accounted for 12 of Tampa Bay’s 19 points, converting field goals of 59, 45, 31 and 31 yards - the 59-yarder tied for the third-longest in franchise history.
Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson was the sharper passer, completing 24 of 30 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns, finishing with a passer rating of 121.9. Browns kicker Andre Szmyt converted all three of his attempts from 50, 34 and 34 yards. Tampa Bay’s defense held Cleveland to just 44 rushing yards but surrendered 267 total yards and was hurt by missed tackles in the second half.
Rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter led the Buccaneers with 11 combined tackles for the second consecutive week before leaving with a shoulder injury. Edge rusher David Walker recorded his first career sack on a third-down package, and cornerback Benjamin Morrison logged seven tackles and a pass defensed.
“We’ve dealt with adversity before,” Bowles said. “This is an adverse situation again, first time at the beginning of the season but we’re 0-2 right now. We’ve got to pull ourselves up by our boots and we’ve got to win.”
Tampa Bay returns to action next week with a Week 3 matchup that will test whether the team can avoid its worst start in over a decade.