John Romano: Thunderstorms and a loss to the Browns. This is Buccaneers Armageddon.

John Romano, Tampa Bay Times on Sep 20, 2026

Published in Football

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TAMPA, Fla. — If you’re just interested in drama and entertainment, it was an interesting afternoon of football at Raymond James Stadium.

If, however, you live and die with the scoreboard?

This one took months off your life.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers blew leads in the third and fourth quarters, waited out a two-hour lightning delay at the two-minute warning and then came up a handful of yards short of the end zone in the final moments of a 23-19 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

And this was no ordinary loss. The Browns have been a carnival of laughs for the past three seasons, coming into the game having lost 27 of their last 35 while being outscored 848-547. And yet the Browns are now 1-1 and the Bucs are 0-2.

The Bucs had a second-and-4 at the Browns 13 in the final minute, but a holding penalty by center Graham Barton put them in a hole. Ted Hurst failed to catch a pass in the end zone on second down, Baker Mayfield scrambled for a 3-yard gain on third, and then a fourth-down pass missed Emeka Egbuka on Tampa Bay’s final offensive play

For the second week in a row, the Bucs lost the turnover battle. Mayfield threw a first-quarter interception that set Cleveland up at the Tampa Bay 28. The Browns eventually converted a field goal to tie the game 6-6. The Bucs defense failed to generate a turnover.

If not for Chase McLaughlin, the Bucs wouldn’t have even had a chance for the victory. The veteran placekicker was 4 for 4 on field goals, including a 59-yarder in the first quarter.

Game ball

A darling in training camp for his disruptive pass rush, David Walker inexplicably got zero snaps on defense in the season opener. The Bucs corrected that oversight on Sunday. On the first play of the second quarter, Walker got his first NFL sack when he came around the corner and pulled Watson down on third down. Walker, a 2025 fourth-round pick from Central Arkansas, missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury.

Play of the game

Two punts, three field goals and an interception into the game, the Bucs still didn’t have a touchdown against a defense that had given up 34 points last week. It took a vintage Mayfield play — eluding a blitzing safety, stepping up in the pocket and finding Egbuka in the end zone — for Tampa Bay’s first touchdown.

Keep an eye on

We said it last week, and we repeat it today. The offensive line is not doing Mayfield any favors. He was sacked four times by the Bengals in Week 1 and was dropped three times by the Browns on Sunday. Even when he wasn’t dumped on his backside, Mayfield was constantly under pressure in the first three quarters. This offensive line was supposed to be far better than this.

NFC South update

What’s more impressive: The Saints coming from behind to beat the Ravens in Baltimore, or the Bucs losing at home against Cleveland? Yeah, safe to say the NFC South is going to be up for grabs until late December. And that’s only if the Bucs get a whole lot better.

Up next

The Vikings played most of the first two weeks of the season without quarterback Kyler Murray, who suffered a concussion in the first quarter of Week 1. Minnesota’s offense hasn’t been terribly impressive without Murray, but the defense has been stellar. The Vikings are 2-0 after taking out Green Bay and Chicago. The Bucs are going to have their hands full.

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