TAMPA — Baker Mayfield will face his former team for the first time as a Buccaneer when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Cleveland Browns at Raymond James Stadium for their 2026 home opener, with kickoff set for 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS.
Both teams enter at 0-1 after lopsided Week One losses. Tampa Bay fell 33-27 at Cincinnati in a game defined by four lost fumbles — three by Mayfield — that produced 24 of the Bengals’ 33 points. The Browns were routed 34-10 in Jacksonville, trailing 31-0 three minutes into the second half. Mayfield has said the matchup is important simply because it is the next game on the schedule, though the team acknowledged he still harbors unhappy feelings about how his tenure in Cleveland ended.
The Buccaneers have not started 0-2 since the 2014 season, the third-longest active streak in the NFL without such a start. Tampa Bay got strong individual performances in the opener from running back Bucky Irving, who posted 93 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown, linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, who recorded a pick-six along with 10 tackles and a sack, and cornerback Zyon McCollum, who tallied nine tackles and two passes defensed.
Head Coach Todd Bowles pointed to more than turnovers as the issue after the Cincinnati loss. “We had four turnovers and lose by just one touchdown. But it wasn’t just that, you know. We had some penalties, some false starts there. Defensively, I’d be interested to know how many tackles we missed, because we missed some chip-shot tackles,” Bowles said. The Bucs committed eight penalties against the Bengals, and Mayfield was pressured on 11 of his 28 dropbacks, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Cincinnati’s pass rushers recorded 4.0 sacks, two of which produced fumbles.
Cleveland quarterback DeShaun Watson, playing his first game since October 2024, completed 16 of 22 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown against Jacksonville but was sacked five times and intercepted once. He also led the Browns in rushing with 38 yards. Cleveland’s defense ranked fourth in the NFL last season but no longer includes reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, who was traded to the Rams. In his place, defensive end Jared Verse — a Pro Bowler in each of his first two seasons with Los Angeles — arrived via that trade and will test All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs and Tampa Bay’s offensive line.
The NFC South race effectively resets this week after all four teams lost their openers. Atlanta fell by seven in Pittsburgh with third-string quarterback Cooper Rush, New Orleans lost in overtime to Detroit on a failed two-point conversion, and Carolina surrendered 59 points to Chicago. Atlanta and Carolina meet this weekend while New Orleans travels to Baltimore, guaranteeing at least one division rival will hold a win entering Week Three.
Mayfield is scheduled to meet the press Wednesday, when the storyline of his return matchup against Cleveland is expected to dominate coverage heading into the home opener.