Buccaneers kicker Chandler Catanzaro missed a game-winning kick at the end of regulation that was only 40 yards.
So when they sent him out in overtime to attempt a 59-yard field goal, there was no way he would make it, right? He did.
His miraculous kick lifted Tampa Bay (3-3) to a 26-23 victory over the Cleveland Browns (2-4-1) in overtime, Cleveland’s fourth overtime game of the season. Cleveland outscored Tampa Bay 21-10 in the second half after training 16-2 at halftime but it wasn’t enough as they lost their second consecutive game.
Jabrill Peppers returned the punt 14 yards to Cleveland’s own 48-yard line before fumbling the ball that put Tampa Bay in good position to score the winning field goal. This was after Peppers ripped a 32-yard punt return earlier in the game that set up a Browns touchdown.
Baker Mayfield bounced back after a bad performance last week against the Chargers throwing for 215 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 43 yards on the ground including a 35-yard run that ended in a shot to the head but he bounced back up and was barking at the Buccaneers defender.
Mayfield was sacked five times, twice by former Browns defensive end Carl Nassib and that is the one thing he needs to continue to clean up. He needs to learn how to get rid of the ball quicker whether that’s throwing it away or reading through his receivers quicker.
However, he was able to connect with his primary target Jarvis Landry early and often and that was much needed on both ends. Landry also struggled last week and received a lot of criticism during the week.
Landry had 10 catches for 97 yards and a touchdown, the touchdown that tied the game late in the fourth quarter.
David Njoku made another touchdown grab in the end zone for the second consecutive week. Himself and Mayfield are building a strong chemistry and the “Chief” is starting to display that potential that was hyped during the offseason and the preseason. Njoku finished with four catches for 52 yards and that touchdown.
Nick Chubb stepped up and got his first NFL start following the team trading Carlos Hyde to Jacksonville on Friday and the rookie out of Georgia didn’t disappoint. He rushed for 80 yards on 18 carries and showed that explosion that has excited fans during his limited snaps over the first six games.
On the defensive side, they struggled at the start of the game but as it went along, they seemed to get better. They produced four turnovers, bringing their total up to 20 for the season which leads the NFL. They also added four sacks including two from Myles Garrett bringing his total up to seven for the season, matching his total from last season.
Emmanuel Ogbah had a great game with 5 tackles, 1.5 sacks and two pass deflections. A lot of criticism has come his way for not being the player he’s been hyped up to be. Hopefully a performance like the one he had Sunday will be the start of things for the third-year player
Christian Kirksey and Jamie Collins stepped up for the most part with Joe Schobert sidelined with a hamstring injury. Kirksey had 10 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery while Collins had 7 tackles (one for a loss) and an interception.
However, penalties killed the Browns defense which helped Tampa out in a big way during Sunday’s game. As a whole, the Browns had 14 penalties for 114 yards. The defense had five which would be momentum killers because those usually came when the Browns would hold Tampa to a 3 and out.
While the defense gave up 456 yards to the Tampa offense which has a lot of weapons. The fact they held them to 26 points and produced four sacks and four turnovers should be seen as a positive.
The offense didn’t turn the ball over but something needs to fixed on that side as well, whether it’s personnel or decision making. Cleveland has created 20 turnovers but have only come away with 31 points as a result of those turnovers. That’s not good enough.
Hue Jackson told reporters that he needs to be more involved in the offense. Based on Hard Knocks, it didn’t seem like Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley get along very well. If Jackson is stepping in and getting involved, it’s not a good sign for the offense especially Baker Mayfield and his development as a rookie quarterback.
The Browns will visit Pittsburgh next Sunday to face the Steelers (3-2-1). If it’s anything like Week 1 which resulted in a 21-21 tie, then next week’s matchup should be a good one.
[…] the Browns 26-23 overtime loss to Tampa Bay, Jackson once again didn’t hold himself accountable for the team’s performance but […]
LikeLike