It was a rough day at the office on Sunday, as the Cleveland Browns lost 34-10 to the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road. The defense struggled to keep up with Trevor Lawrence's aerial assault and his receivers, and they could face similar issues this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Here are three defensive keys to victory:
Key #1: Contain Emeka Egbuka
This Tampa Bay receiving corps took a hit this offseason, losing Mike Evans to San Francisco. This means that Emeka Egbuka would need to step up this season without a real running mate out wide. Chris Godwin and rookie Ted Hurst were fine in their roles, but Tampa is going to need Egbuka to step up in week two, and Denzel Ward is going to need to make sure that doesn't happen.
Key #2: Don't let Bucky Irving get going
We finally saw a healthy Bucky Irving again
on Sunday, and he reminded us just how dangerous he can be, going for nearly 100 all-purpose yards and a touchdown. Many expected a split backfield in Tampa, but we saw in week one that isn't the case. Irving can wreck a game, and these linebackers need to help with both run support and making sure he doesn't go crazy in the passing game.
Key #3: Limit Baker Mayfield's rushing
A key part of Baker Mayfield's game is his legs. He brings sneaky rushing upside every game and can easily escape the pocket to convert a key third down. If the Browns want to hang in this game on Sunday, they'll have to spy Mayfield on passing downs to make sure he can't escape the pocket as easily.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: 3 Keys for the Browns' defense against the Bucs in Week 2
