The Buccaneers suffered a brutal loss on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. See who stepped up and who left much to be desired in the defeat that dropped the team to 0-2.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have finally (hopefully) hit rock bottom, meaning there is nowhere to go but up (again, hopefully).
The Bucs' home loss against the lowly Cleveland Browns on Sunday has taken away any positive vibes and any faith in this team that remained after last week's season-opening loss, which followed last year's 2-7 collapse down the stretch.
If the game itself wasn't enough torture, the fans at Raymond James Stadium also had to endure a two-hour lightning delay at the two-minute warning with the Bucs driving down 23-19.
The weather only delayed the inevitable, as a fourth-down Baker Mayfield pass to Emeka Egbuka fell incomplete, sealing the team's fate.
Despite the horrible loss, there were a few Bucs who had impressive showings on Sunday. Unfortunately, many more did not.
I picked four winners and cut the "losers" to only five, though it could have been many more.
Winners
Bucky Irving: Irving has proven to be one of the NFL's most explosive running backs since his rookie season in 2024. Sunday was no different. Irving was the offense's biggest and most consistent weapon, rushing for 89 yards on 17 carries.
Josiah Trotter: One week after his historic debut, Trotter was again the defense's best player. The rookie led Tampa with a whopping 13 total tackles and has had to compensate for Alex Anzalone's mistakes, not the other way around.
David Walker: One of Tampa's hyped pass rushers got his first-career sack on Sunday against the Browns. No, not Rueben Bain Jr. It was Walker, who looked like one of the Bucs' best players throughout training camp, who got on the board.
Keionte Scott: Another Buccaneer who isn't Bain recorded his first-ever sack on Sunday. This time it's the fourth-round rookie cornerback Scott, who had an impressive all-around game against the Browns, taking advantage of the extended opportunity with Jacob Parrish unable to play.
Losers
Baker Mayfield: Not only did Mayfield play another game that didn't measure up to the standard of a quarterback making $55 million per year, but he lost his revenge game against the Browns. Mayfield was also thoroughly outplayed by Deshaun Watson, the quarterback who replaced him in Cleveland. Nobody will take this loss worse, or more personally, than Mayfield.
Rueben Bain Jr.: Bain has now played two games in his career, but you may not have known it if you watched the games. Bain was invisible against the Browns and was kept off the stat sheet entirely. Concerns about his short arm length have resurfaced. Counting Trotter last week, three Bucs defenders have gotten their first-career sack so far this season. Bain is not one of them.
Alex Anzalone: Speaking of Bucs who haven't met expectations over the first two games, Anzalone was a major liability for the second contest in a row. From getting beat in coverage to missing tackles left and right, Anzalone has been one of the defense's biggest disappointments so far.
Todd Bowles: That loud noise you'll be hearing over the next few days is likely the calls from fans for Bowles to be fired. Bowles began the season on the hot seat. After two straight sloppy, underwhelming performances, that seat is now officially on fire. With Bain's failures so far, Bowles' reputation as one of the best defensive minds in the league is fading by the week. With upcoming games against the Vikings, Packers, Cowboys, and Steelers, the Bucs' season is at risk of going off the rails very quickly. If that happens, Bowles likely won't finish the season as head coach.
Offensive Line: Tampa's offensive line was supposed to be one of the NFL's best. It has not come close to playing like it thus far. One week after allowing four sacks against Cincinnati, the line allowed another three against Cleveland. It could have been even more, but Mayfield did a good job of evading pressure all afternoon. If Tampa is to have any hope of a successful season, the offensive line needs to be a strength, not a weakness.
The Bucs will have a lot of cleaning up to do, and have a lot of players who must start playing to their talent level if they are to have any chance against the Minnesota Vikings next week.
