Buccaneers most to blame for shocking Week 2 loss to Browns

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a nightmare start to the 2026 NFL season. Tampa lost to Cleveland on Sunday, falling to 0-2 early in the regular season. All of the narratives in the world were there for Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers to have a big win in Week 2.

Mayfield just signed a long-term contract extension in Tampa before facing off against the team that abandoned him. The Deshaun Watson era looks to be over soon in Cleveland, so what better way to end it than Mayfield crushing the team that drafted him?

Instead, Mayfield looked terrible and his teammates did very little to help him out. Ultimately, the Buccaneers lost to one of the worst teams in the league. Those always feel a lot different than simply losing a game that you should have won.

Who should be held responsible for Tampa's latest blown opportunity?

These are the Buccaneers most to blame for Sunday's embarrassing loss to the Browns.

Baker Mayfield embarrasses himself against his former team

There's no other place to start than Mayfield.

The veteran quarterback seemed locked in before the regular season. But now that he got his long-term deal, Mayfield has turned into a pumpkin who does not look worthy of that deal.

Mayfield threw an ugly interception for the second game in a row. This time he carelessly slung the ball in the direction of Ted Hurst III (more on him in a minute). It was picked off by Myles Harden and returned into Tampa Bay territory. The ensuing drive resulted in a field goal for Cleveland.

Beyond that, Mayfield missed on multiple shots deep down the field that could have resulted in big plays. Tampa's offense needed to add some spice, but Mayfield just wasn't capable of delivering it on Sunday.

There's no way to sugarcoat it. Mayfield has been inaccurate and downright reckless during the first two games of the season.

All of this is bad news for Tampa, especially after handing Mayfield a long-term extension just before the season. Now if Baker continues to struggle, Tampa is on the hook to deal with him. That is now the case for the next three seasons.

Hopefully Baker can turn things around in Week 3.

Ted Hurst III almost saved the Buccaneers with a huge play at end of game

It feels a bit cruel to put Hurst on this list. But he did miss an opportunity to single-handedly win the game for Tampa.

Mayfield targeted Hurst with a pass on second down with under a minute left to play. Hurst had the opportunity to make the catch at the goal line, which would have been a game-winning score. Instead, he dropped the pass in the driving rain.

Following that play, Tampa moved back because of a holding penalty and missed a failed attempt to hit Emeka Egbuka after that.

Mayfield admitted that he put the rookie in a tough spot with the game hanging in the balance.

“Obviously, not an easy catch [for Hurst],” Mayfield said after the game, per Buccaneers.com. “Ted's somebody that I trust. That's not going to change anything for me going forward. You know, tough play. I didn't get a real good look at it. I know he had a chance at it but the ball's going to keep coming back to him, going to keep finding him. We've just got to make the plays in the end, obviously. Just got to trust that ‘Mek' is going to come out of that break a little slower with the conditions, and give him some air to run under it on the fourth-down play, too.”

Hurst finished with one reception for 21 yards despite receiving five targets. The rookie will continue to get opportunities, but he failed to make a big name for himself in a crucial early-season matchup.

Tampa's defense is falling apart early in the season

Realistically, Tampa's defense and overall coaching deserve more blame than Hurst.

There's almost too much to talk about on defense. Players missed multiple tackles in Week 2, which helped give the Browns a chance to stay alive. Beyond that, Tampa has not been able to count on some of its veteran players when they've needed them most.

Alex Anzalone is a great example. He is a captain on defense who has struggled mightily early in the season. He also committed an ugly unnecessary roughness penalty against Cleveland.

But it's not just him. Rookie Rueben Bain Jr. only has one solo tackle through two games. He simply hasn't added enough juice on the edge to upgrade Tampa's defense.

Josiah Trotter has been a breath of fresh air. But aside from him, the Buccaneers are crashing and burning hard on defense.

It's difficult to tell how much of the problem is coaching and how much is the players. That said, there's no question that Todd Bowles is on the hot seat after an uninspired start to the season.

Tampa may need to make some huge improvements to save Bowles' job.