The Buccaneers are still chasing their first win after a 33-27 loss to the Bengals in Week 1, and Todd Bowles knows Sunday’s home game against the Browns will demand a cleaner performance. Tampa Bay and Cleveland both enter at 0-1, but the Browns’ 34-10 loss to the Jaguars didn’t erase the issues Bowles is focused on heading into Week 2.
One of the biggest concerns is quarterback movement. Joe Burrow found room to run for 20 yards against Tampa Bay last Sunday, including on a play where the middle of the field was left open for a quarterback draw.
Bowles now has to account for Deshaun Watson, who rushed for 38 yards against Jacksonville. The Jaguars also held Browns running back Quinshon Judkins to 33 yards on 12 carries, so Tampa Bay’s job is bigger than just corralling Watson in the open field.
The pass rush has to get to him, and the defense has to finish the play once he tries to escape.
The tight end matchup is another issue Bowles can’t ignore. Mike Gesicki gave the Bucs problems in the opener, catching five passes for 78 yards while Cincinnati turned three Tampa Bay turnovers into touchdowns.
Cleveland tight end Fannin didn’t make much noise in Week 1, finishing with two catches for 21 yards, but Bowles knows the threat is real. Fannin caught six touchdowns last year and totaled 731 yards, and if the Bucs defend him the way they handled Gesicki, he could do serious damage.
There’s also the familiarity factor with Browns playcaller Monken. Bowles has spent enough time around him to know some of what he likes to dial up, from the time his son, Troy, played linebacker at Georgia while he was there at the college level and the time he interviewed Monken for Tampa Bay’s OC job.
Bowles has also faced him in the NFL before, so this won’t be a mystery opponent. If Tampa Bay builds the right plan against Monken’s offense, the defense has a chance to settle in and control the game.
The Buccaneers and Browns meet at Raymond James Stadium on Sept. 20 at 1 p.m.
In Other News...
Browns Just Gave Shedeur Sanders A Familiar Boost Behind Watson
The Browns added a familiar face to their practice squad this week, signing wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. after his release from the Carolina Panthers. For Cleveland, it is another low-risk move aimed at adding depth and familiarity around a quarterback room that continues to take shape, and for Shedeur Sanders it brings in a receiver he already knows well from their time together at Colorado.
Horns arrival gives the Browns a chance to keep building chemistry behind the scenes while giving the wideout an opening to prove he can stick. Practice squad additions do not guarantee much, but they can matter in a season when injuries and roster churn can quickly create opportunity, and Cleveland will now get a closer look at whether that old college connection can turn into something more. [Read more 🡒]
Deshaun Watsons Latest Off-Field Issue Is Now Hanging Over The Browns
Deshaun Watsons latest off-field issue is now part of the Browns backdrop as they move through the opening stretch of the season. The quarterback was stopped by Ohio State Highway Patrol on Aug. 26 for driving 86 mph in a 60 mph zone, and he cooperated with the officer before receiving a citation. Watson later pleaded not guilty in Cleveland Municipal Court, with a bench trial set for Sept. 23.
The timing adds another layer of attention around a passer who is already trying to settle in on the field after a rocky opener. In Clevelands season debut, Watson completed 16 of 22 passes for 205 yards, threw a touchdown and an interception, and was sacked five times, then spoke about his performance and his physical condition following earlier injuries. For the Browns, the legal case is now set to linger alongside the football questions. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Thomas Admits How Dark Things Got With Those Browns
Joe Thomas has long been the face of patience through pain in Cleveland, but even he recently revisited just how draining those Browns years could be. In a podcast interview, the Hall of Fame left tackle said there was a moment when he played what he believed was a perfect game, only to walk off after a 30-0 loss to the New England Patriots feeling so overwhelmed that he cried. It was another reminder of what it meant to anchor a team that rarely gave him much help, even while he piled up Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors over an 11-year run.
Thomas also looked back on the bigger picture, saying that by his tenth season he understood the Browns were deep into a rebuild and not close to contending. For a player who endured only one winning season in Cleveland, that realization had to sting, especially for someone who had already given so much to the franchise. Even now, his reflections land with extra weight because they come from one of the most respected players in team history, a lineman whose excellence was often separated from the results around him. [Read more 🡒]