Browns vs. Buccaneers: Deshaun Watson Outduels Baker Mayfield and Outlasts the Lightning in Week 2

Two hours and 12 minutes. That's how long the Cleveland Browns had to sit on a four-point lead while lightning shut down Raymond James Stadium, with Baker Mayfield's offense parked at the Cleveland 28 and the two-minute warning frozen on the clock. Plenty of time to overthink. Plenty of time for a fan base to assume the worst.

When play resumed in a downpour, the Browns' defense held, and the Cleveland Browns beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-19 on Sunday. Deshaun Watson threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead 17-yarder to Blake Whiteheart with 3:51 left, and won the first head-to-head meeting between two quarterbacks whose careers are permanently stapled together. Cleveland is 1-1. Tampa Bay is 0-2.

Seven Field Goals, Then Fireworks

The first half was a kicking exhibition. Chase McLaughlin opened with a 59-yarder, Andre Szmyt answered from 50, and McLaughlin hit again from 45. Cornerback Myles Harden then picked off Mayfield and returned it 25 yards to the Tampa Bay 28, setting up a 34-yard Szmyt kick that tied it at 6 early in the second quarter.

Cleveland gave one back when Elijah Roberts stuffed Quinshon Judkins on fourth-and-1, handing the Bucs the ball at the Cleveland 34. The drive stalled at the 11, and McLaughlin's 31-yarder with 12 seconds left in the half made it 9-6.

Mayfield came out of the locker room cooking. On a 65-yard opening drive, he converted a third-and-9 by stiff-arming a defender out of his way, then dodged a sack and found Emeka Egbuka, who had slipped to the turf and hauled in the 5-yard touchdown from a seated position. 16-6, and Tampa Bay looked comfortable.

It didn't last. Szmyt's third field goal, another 34-yarder, trimmed it to 16-9. Then Watson fired a slant to rookie Denzel Boston, who shed three would-be tacklers on a 55-yard touchdown that tied it at 16 with 1:23 left in the third quarter. That drive took three plays.

McLaughlin's fourth field goal, from 31, put the Bucs back on top 19-16 with 9:58 to play. Cleveland answered with the drive of Watson's season.

Watson's Best Day in Three Years

Watson finished 24 of 30 with no turnovers and a 121.9 passer rating, his best game since Sept. 24, 2023, against Tennessee. That matters. Before last week's start in Jacksonville, he hadn't played since 2024, and his preseason criticism of Browns fans had fueled speculation that he wouldn't get a home start unless he played well.

"I'm just happy we got the win," Watson said. "I'm right where I'm supposed to be. I'll leave the journey in God's hands and let the outcome be the outcome."

Watson also ran for 22 yards on seven carries. Boston led the receivers with five catches for 95 yards, and tight end Harold Fannin Jr. added five for 54. Whiteheart caught exactly one pass all day. It just happened to be the game-winner.

Defensively, Harden had the interception and two pass breakups, linebacker Carson Schwesinger made 10 tackles and safety Grant Delpit added a sack. Tampa Bay ran for 137 yards, with Bucky Irving gaining 89 on 17 carries, but Cleveland allowed only one touchdown.

Mayfield went 21 of 34 for 182 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter made 13 tackles for the Bucs before getting shaken up in the fourth quarter.

The Drive, Then the Delay

Down three, Cleveland marched 68 yards in 12 plays and burned 6:07 off the clock. Watson converted four third downs along the way, including a busted play on third-and-1 from the Tampa Bay 31 that he salvaged with a 6-yard completion to Fannin. Three plays later, Whiteheart leaked into the flat completely alone and turned a short toss into a 17-yard touchdown.

Tampa Bay responded by driving from its own 49 to the Cleveland 28. Then the skies opened, the game was suspended at the two-minute warning, and everybody waited through what felt like a full Marvel movie plus the post-credits scene. When the teams returned, two Irving runs and a Mayfield completion to Ted Hurst III moved the Bucs to the 13, and then a holding flag undid the progress. On fourth down, Mayfield overshot Egbuka in the end zone.

"I'm so happy for him," Browns coach Todd Monken said of Watson. "Good for him. Good for 22 months working his (tail) off to get to where he's at."

Stats That Matter

• 24 of 30: Watson's completions, with zero turnovers.
• 7-for-7: McLaughlin and Szmyt combined on field goals.
• 137 to 44: Tampa Bay's rushing edge, which didn't save it.
• 2 hours, 12 minutes: The lightning delay that froze the final two minutes.
• 10-11: Watson's record in five seasons with Cleveland.

Quarterback Soap Opera, Season Two

This matchup came preloaded with drama. Cleveland drafted Mayfield No. 1 overall in 2018, then traded him to Carolina after acquiring Watson in 2022. Mayfield bounced from the Panthers to the Rams before resetting his career in Tampa Bay, where he has made two Pro Bowls and signed a three-year, $165 million extension earlier this month.

Now the Bucs are 0-2 after a 33-27 Week 1 loss in Cincinnati, and their quarterback is frustrated.

"Frustrated because it's close," Mayfield said of the offense. "We have to be self-critical, look at the tape, get stuff fixed and not make the same mistakes over and over." Minnesota visits Tampa on Sept. 27.

Watson's situation flipped in an afternoon. Monken wouldn't commit to him as the starter for the home opener against Carolina, and Shedeur Sanders remains the name in the background, but this performance should quiet the noise for at least another week. A week after a 34-10 loss in Jacksonville, Cleveland's coach also had a message for anyone writing the same old script.

Not This Time

"The Browns are gonna Browns? (Expletive) that," Monken said.

Honestly, that might be the most Cleveland sentence ever spoken, and the best part is it came after a win. For one stormy afternoon in Tampa, the Browns didn't Browns. They waited out the lightning, stopped a fourth down and left town with a quarterback controversy that suddenly isn't much of one.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Postgame quotes as reported by the Associated Press. Additional game details from ClevelandBrowns.com.