5 Storylines To Watch In Browns Vs. Buccaneers

The Cleveland Browns return to Florida on Sunday, the scene of the crime of their Week 1 debacle, to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They look to show improvement from last week and ease the many concerns that arose against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Browns are once again underdogs by 8.5 points and there is little reason to believe that the Browns can pull an upset. Although the scoreboard may be one-sided, there are still plenty of storylines to watch for when the Browns take the field. 

Mayfield and the Warden

Baker Mayfield will be under center for the Buccaneers and there is no question that he is fired up for this game. Mayfield uses his emotions to influence his performance and he will be trash talking with every first down. The Browns’ secondary was carved up by Trevor Lawrence last week in zone coverage. Can defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg make adjustments and play to the secondary’s strength? Will ex-teammate Denzel Ward intercept Mayfield? The Browns’ secondary will have to be sticky and make Mayfield hold onto the ball. They can frustrate Mayfield and use that frustration to their advantage. Emotions will be flying and the Browns do not need to match Mayfield’s trash talking to be successful. 

Deshaun’s Descent

Although Deshaun Watson thought he played a good game last Sunday, the eye test said differently. If Watson cannot find a way to have a solid game and compete against Mayfield, then he cannot return home to face the Cleveland crowd. Watson is playing for his career and he needs to get the ball out of his hands and over ten yards to open receivers. It was garbage time, but Watson did have a solid fourth quarter last week and now he should build on that and play as loose as he did to end the game. Can he do that with the added pressure of facing off against Mayfield? Will Watson’s teammates even be able to believe in his ability to play well? 

The Browns’ first game after signing Watson was against Mayfield in Carolina. The tumultuous Watson era in Cleveland may end at the hands of the very quarterback that he replaced. 

Todd’s Squad

History was against Todd Monken last week as no Browns coach since 1999 has won their debut game. However, coaches have fared much better in their follow-up showing. The offense looked much the same from the previous coach and the penalties added up. Monken’s team looked disorganized and not ready to begin the season. The Browns have to clean up the pre-snap penalties in order to survive a hostile Tampa Bay environment. It is important to compete in this game for Monken, so his squad does not come back to Cleveland after two embarrassing defeats in the Florida humidity. 

Running Away

The offense failed to successfully run the football in their first away game. They need to get Quinshon Judkins going early and use the rush to keep Mayfield on the sideline. This will open up the offense to try and get easy completions for Watson. With another week of practice, the offensive line should grow more comfortable and open up running lanes. Raheim Sanders moves up to the backup running back due to Dylan Sampson’s injury. The Browns gave up on their screen plays last week, but will need to find production from the running back position in order to compete. The running game can help the Browns control the pace of play, which they failed to do last week. 

The Tackle Box 

The defensive line was pushed around and missed tackles last week. There was a lot of hype to see what newly acquired Jared Verse could do, but it was just that, hype. Verse has to get after Mayfield to speed him up and make him uncomfortable. Mayfield is coming off a three-fumble game last week and he does not play well when pressured. The Browns provided almost zero pressure last week and Verse needs to show why he was the glue of the Myles Garrett trade. 

The defensive line as a whole needs to get better at penetrating the line of scrimmage and finishing plays. The Buccaneers have a good running back in Bucky Irving and they will probably use him early to settle down the tension of the game. The line needs to buck the trend and become a defensive strength.  

While the big headline will be Mayfield against the Browns, there is still football being played and the Browns have a lot to improve upon. They return to Florida looking for redemption and a reason for Cleveland to believe in this team.