Updated

Updated · Buccaneers.com · Sep 21

Buccaneers Fall 23-19 to Browns After 132-Minute Lightning Delay, Dropping to 0-2

Updated

Updated · Buccaneers.com · Sep 21

Buccaneers Fall 23-19 to Browns After 132-Minute Lightning Delay, Dropping to 0-2

Q: How did a bizarre two-hour lightning delay ultimately decide the fate of Baker Mayfield's revenge game against his former team?

The two-hour, 12-minute lightning delay froze Tampa Bay at the exact moment Baker Mayfield still had a real chance to complete the comeback, then forced him to finish the drive under far worse conditions against a reset Cleveland defense. When play was stopped at the two-minute warning, the Buccaneers were trailing 23-19 but had momentum, the ball at the Browns’ 28-yard line, second-and-4, and all three timeouts. It was the setup for a classic revenge finish against Mayfield’s former team. Instead, both teams went to the locker room for more than two hours because of nearby lightning. By the time the game resumed, heavy rain had returned and the rhythm of Tampa Bay’s drive was gone. The Buccaneers moved the ball to the Cleveland 13, but a holding penalty pushed them back and changed the series. After that setback, Mayfield could not recover: he threw incompletions and, on fourth-and-10 from the 20, missed Emeka Egbuka in the end zone. So the delay did not change the score by itself, but it changed the ending. It interrupted Tampa Bay’s late push, gave Cleveland’s defense time to regroup, and restarted the final possession in rain and under pressure. The result was that Mayfield’s revenge game ended not with a winning drive, but with a stalled possession and an incomplete final throw that sealed Cleveland’s 23-19 win.

Q: Did Deshaun Watson's clutch touchdown drive permanently silence the calls for Shedeur Sanders, or is his starting job still in jeopardy?

Watson’s late touchdown drive quieted the pressure for now, but it did not permanently end the Shedeur Sanders debate. Sunday’s 23-19 win over Tampa Bay was exactly the kind of response Cleveland needed after the Week 1 loss to Jacksonville. Watson was efficient and clean — 24 of 30 for 238 yards, two touchdowns, no turnovers and a 121.9 passer rating — and he engineered the decisive six-minute drive capped by Blake Whiteheart’s go-ahead touchdown. That performance strongly supports Todd Monken’s decision to start him and eases the immediate calls for a change. But the broader context matters. Multiple reports before the game said Cleveland planned to reevaluate the quarterback situation after its first two games, and Sanders has remained a real alternative after pushing Watson during camp and preseason. Even though Monken previously said Watson’s job was not intended to be a week-to-week decision, that stance was tested by the ugly opener and fan frustration. So the win likely buys Watson more time and makes a Week 3 switch much less likely, especially with the Browns now 1-1 heading into the home opener against Carolina. Still, one good game does not fully secure the job over the long term. If Watson regresses or the offense stalls again, Sanders will quickly return to the conversation. The practical answer is that Watson strengthened his hold on the starting role, but he has not locked it down for the season.

3 articles · Updated · Buccaneers.com · Sep 21

A 132-minute lightning delay froze Tampa Bay's final chance, and the Buccaneers came away empty after reaching only the Browns' 20 in a 23-19 home loss.
Baker Mayfield said red-zone failures decided it: Tampa Bay settled for four Chase McLaughlin field goals, then saw a potential go-ahead touchdown to rookie Ted Hurst slip away in heavy rain before a holding penalty derailed the finish.
Cleveland seized its first lead with 3:51 left when Deshaun Watson hit Blake Whiteheart for a 17-yard touchdown, capping a comeback after Tampa Bay had led by 10 in the third quarter.
Mayfield finished 21 of 34 for 182 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while Watson went 24 of 30 for 238 yards and two scores.
The defeat leaves Tampa Bay 0-2 for the first time since 2014 and one game behind Carolina and New Orleans in the NFC South.