Baker Mayfield didn’t need to dress it up after the Buccaneers’ Week 1 loss. With Cleveland up next, the Tampa Bay quarterback made it clear he knows exactly what’s sitting on the other side of the schedule.
The Bucs dropped a 33-27 decision to the Bengals on Sunday, while the Browns were handled 34-10 by the Jaguars in a far less competitive opener. That sets up a Week 2 meeting in Tampa, and it brings Mayfield face-to-face with the franchise that moved on from him after the 2021 season.
“I mean, obviously, there’s history there - there’s no way to go around that,” Mayfield said about facing the Browns, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. “It’s the next opponent.
Cleveland happens to be the next opponent - our home opener. So, yeah.
Have a bad taste in our mouth, looking forward to getting it out.”
Mayfield has already described how the Browns’ decision to bring in Deshaun Watson made him feel “like a piece of dirty laundry” after Cleveland acquired Watson from the Houston Texans in March 2022 and then signed him to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract. The Browns traded Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers later that summer, and he ended up starting against Cleveland in Week 1 of the 2022 season. Cleveland won that game 26-24, but the broader story has only gotten uglier for the Browns since then, with the Watson move becoming a major misfire for the organization.
Some Browns fans would now rather not see Watson take another in-game snap for the team. Mayfield, meanwhile, has since signed multiple contracts with the Buccaneers since March 2023.
Sunday also left Mayfield with some cleanup to do on his own end. He lost three fumbles against Cincinnati, and that’s the kind of mess he’ll be trying to wipe away before the Browns come to town on Sept. 20.
“It’s still the next one, and that’s the most important one,” Mayfield added about the Week 2 game against the Browns. “I’ve said that to you guys over the years - it doesn’t matter who it is, the most important one is the next one.
And we’ve got - I’ve got to get some stuff fixed. And we’ve got to move forward.”
As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Buccaneers as 8.5-point home favorites over the Browns.
In Other News...
Bucs Already Have A Real Concern In The Middle Of Their Defense
Alex Anzalones stat line looked busy enough against the Bengals, with seven tackles, but the tape told a more complicated story for the middle of Tampa Bays defense. He was credited with inconsistent play and found himself out of position at times, which is the kind of issue that can quietly unravel a unit even when the box score still looks respectable. Rookie Rueben Bain Jr. also had only a small footprint in the game, finishing with one assisted tackle as the Buccaneers searched for more impact in the middle of the field.
Josiah Trotter was the one bright spot, turning in the games most active defensive performance with 11 tackles, a sack, a pass defensed and a pick-six touchdown. Even so, Tampa Bays next test comes quickly with the Browns on deck, and the Buccaneers will need the center of the defense to settle in before a sturdier opponent starts probing those same soft spots. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Week 1 Snap Counts Raised A Bigger Question Than The Loss
The Buccaneers season-opening loss to Cincinnati left plenty to sort through, but the snap counts may have been even more revealing than the final score. Tampa Bays offense showed an early look at how it plans to distribute work among its pass catchers and backfield, with Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin Jr. and rookie Ted Hurst III all drawing meaningful usage, while Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell split the backfield workload in a way that hinted at how this group might evolve as the season settles in.
On defense, the story was just as interesting because the workload centered on a young linebacker making a strong case for a larger role. Josiah Trotter led the Buccaneers in tackles and was involved in several key plays, while Alex Anzalone was the only defender to stay on the field for every snap. For a team trying to find its footing after one week, the bigger question is not just what happened against the Bengals, but what these usage patterns say about how Tampa Bay wants to build going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Loss Exposed Familiar Problems But One Rookie Gave Fans Hope
The Buccaneers came out of Week 1 with a 33-27 loss to the Bengals, and the film offered a little of everything that has frustrated this team before. Baker Mayfields three fumbles were the clearest example, but the problems did not stop there. Tampa Bays defense had its own communication issues and struggled to generate consistent pressure, while the offense had the kind of delays and miscues that can make a new playcallers first outing feel much longer than the calendar says it should.
Bucky Irving was one of the few reasons for optimism. The rookie running back scored on the ground and also caught seven passes, giving the Buccaneers a much-needed jolt in a game that otherwise exposed familiar concerns. For a team trying to establish a cleaner identity early in the season, Irvings debut offered a small but meaningful reason to believe there is at least one fresh piece ready to help steady things. [Read more 🡒]