The Good, Bad and Ugly From Buccaneers' Brutal Browns Loss

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were eager to get back on the field after their disappointing Week 1 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite the team's poor performance in that game, the Buccaneers felt confident heading into this matchup with the Browns, where they matched up well from a personnel perspective on both sides of the ball.

Unfortunately for the Buccaneers, that was not the case. The Bucs struggled mightily in what was one of the most disappointing performances in recent memory.

The Bucs lost a brutal game that featured a two-hour rain delay 23-19 to the Browns. Here's the good, bad and ugly from the sluggish affair:

Good

Yaya Diab — Sep 20, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker YaYa Diaby (0) reacts after a tackle during the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Run Defense

Todd Bowles' run defense looked very solid in this game. Even though the Browns are expected to be one of the league's weakest offensive teams this season, Tampa Bay was stout against the run, holding the Browns to just 19 yards on 14 carries in the first half — the fourth time in franchise history the Bucs were able to hold a team below 20 yards rushing in a half with 14-plus carries.

Cleveland rushed 14 times for 19 yards (1.36 avg.) in the first half.

It's the fourth time in team history that the Bucs have held an opponent to 20-or-fewer rushing yards on 14+ carries in the first half of a game. https://t.co/RkUdt2uZso
— Buccaneers Communications (@BuccaneersComms) September 20, 2026

Unfortunately, the Bucs defense did not play well overall, and really fell flat down the stretch, allowing Deshaun Watson to carve them up late in the fourth quarter to take a 23-19 lead with just over 3 minutes remaining.

Mr. Consistency

Chase McLaughlin was 3/3 on field goals in the first half alone, including a 59-yarder in the first quarter, which is tied for the third-longest in franchise history. He also added 45- and 31-yard FGs to account for all of the Buccaneers' points by halftime. McLaughlin added another FG in the fourth quarter to give the Bucs a 19-16 lead, and he has been a tremendous asset for the Bucs since he took over as the team's kicker in 2023. So far, he is off to another great start in 2026.

Career Firsts

Two young Bucs defenders took down Deshaun Watson to record their first career sacks. First, David Walker got to Watson on 3rd down in the red zone, forcing the Browns to settle for a field goal in the first quarter. In the second quarter, rookie Keionte Scott provided a seven-yard sack to put the Browns into a 3rd-and-long situation from deep in their own territory, which they did not convert. Scott had a really solid game overall and it looks like he'll have a significant role in Todd Bowles' defense all year long.

Cade Otton's Gloves

Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton took the field with a new look on Sunday. Otton is known for playing without gloves, but after a really bad drop last week in Cincinnati, he decided to switch it up today. And it's a good thing he did, as Otton hauled in what could be considered the most impressive catch of his entire career in the third quarter.

This catch by Cade Otton 😮

CLEvsTB on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/CJC0SvSh0o
— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026

Bad

Baker Mayfield Turnovers

It didn’t even take a full quarter before Mayfield threw an interception, picking up right where he left off last week, when he had three fumbles lost on his own. Mayfield’s propensity for turnovers remains a huge issue for a Buccaneers offense that has not been what people expected so far this year. It's especially unsettling considering Mayfield just signed the largest contract in franchise history.

Bain's Slow Start

Although the Buccaneers were able to apply some pressure on Watson today, first-round draft pick Rueben Bain Jr. was nowhere to be seen. It's too early for anyone in Tampa to panic about Bain's outlook as a pro, but it's worth noting that he's really struggled to find his footing against NFL OTs so far, and that includes today's matchup vs. the Browns, where he failed to record a sack or make much of an impression.

Ugly

Passing Offense

The Bucs' aerial attack was abysmal in this game, especially early on. The Bucs had zero targets to Egbuka or Godwin and only three passes to wide receivers throughout the first 22 minutes of the game, all of which were intended for rookie Ted Hurst. At halftime, Mayfield's numbers were, for lack of a better term, pathetic. He was 9/15 for a total of 45 yards, 0 TDs and 1 INT.

16.7% dropback success rate from Baker Mayfield in the 1st half, per @NextGenStats.

Run game has had some real moments, but the Bucs passing game looks disjointed.
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) September 20, 2026

Although the Bucs had more success through the air in the second half, they simply weren't good enough in that regard in this contest. The Buccaneers' wide receivers struggled mightily to create separation from Browns' DBs all game, and it felt like a real struggle for Mayfield to find any openings to exploit downfield. The offensive line also struggled at points, which is a big concern considering their poor performance last week. So far this season, Zac Robinson's offensive approach has lacked the explosive plays downfield that many fans expected to see with so many quality weapons at key spots.

Alex Anzalone

For the second consecutive week, linebacker Alex Anzalone was absolutely dreadful. Not only did he fail to make any splash plays in this game, but he had a brutal missed tackle that directly resulted in a 55-yard TD for rookie Denzel Boston, tying the game at 16 in the second half. Just two games into his Buccaneers career, Anzalone has been a huge disappointment, with significantly more missed tackles than positive plays.

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