Browns claim unlikely victory amid severe Tampa Bay weather

Neutral fans would be forgiven for looking elsewhere for their Sunday afternoon entertainment, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosted the Cleveland Browns, with both teams coming off an opening week loss.

Tampa Bay remained competitive despite being outclassed in Cincinnati, but the Browns were embarrassed from start to finish as the Jacksonville Jaguars had their way with them, raising legitimate concerns as to whether Cleveland were on track to repeat their infamous winless season of 2017.

Field goals headlined the first quarter, as Tampa Bay took a 6-3 lead into quarter time, although Watson and the Browns’ offense looked improved from the incredibly low bar they set in Jacksonville.

Baker Mayfield’s turnover-riddled start to the season continued, as he followed up a highlight-reel scramble with an interception to Myles Harden, giving the Browns some unlikely confidence in their bid to cause an upset.

A 4th field goal was scored inside 16 minutes, as Andre Szmyt levelled the game at 6 apiece.

The game continued to be hard to watch throughout the second quarter, and the first half’s most crucial play was a failed 4th down conversion by Quinshon Judkins and the Browns, giving the Buccaneers strong field position, which looked like the only way either team would source a touchdown.

However, even that was not sufficient for this game to produce a major score, as another field goal meant Tampa Bay held a 9-6 halftime lead.

Back-to-back explosive plays opened up the Buccaneers’ second half and had the team back in the red zone quickly, with Mayfield finally capitalising, as Emeka Egbuka hauled in a tough catch to give Tampa Bay a 10-point lead.

Denzel Boston appeared to snag a difficult catch in the end zone, only for it to be broken up at the last moment, which forced Szmyt out for a third time to put through a chip shot.

Boston wasn’t to be denied a second time, however, finding room on a 55-yard catch-and-run touchdown to tie the scores once again, as the Browns offense looked surprisngly formidable after last week’s disaster.

Todd Monken’s decision to stick with Watson as the team’s starter may have justified itself on Cleveland’s final offensive draft, as the veteran led his team down the field, eventually finding a wide-open Blake Whiteheart, who walked in for what proved to be the game-winning score.

With the game hanging on a knife’s edge and 2 minutes remaining, Tampa Bay’s inclement weather got the better of the game, causing a delay of 2 hours to take place, giving Mayfield plenty of time to weigh up how he would orchestrate a go-ahead drive. But it clearly wasn’t enough, as the Browns made a huge 4th down stop to claim an unlikely victory.

The pressure is really starting to mount on Todd Bowles now. The Buccaneers look to have only gone backwards in the past few years, and a reset may be in order soon, despite Mayfield’s recent contract extenstion. Judgement will come heavily over the next few months.

Touchdowns
Cleveland: Boston, Whiteheart
Tampa Bay: Egbuka

Top Performers
Cleveland: Watson, Boston, Harden, Szmyt, Delpit
Tampa Bay: Irving, McLaughlin, Smith, Trotter

Injuries
Cleveland: Campbell (ankle)
Tampa Bay: N/A

Crowd: TBC