The Cleveland Browns play football on Sunday when they face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While the Browns were beyond disappointing in their season debut, the Bucs also had high expectations that were not met in their Week 1 matchup.
For both teams, all eyes will be on the quarterbacks. The storyline of Deshaun Watson and Baker Mayfield facing off, with the latter replacing the former Heisman Trophy winner, is being talked about. Mayfield has a chip on his shoulder; Watson may have one as well, so it will be an interesting watch on Sunday.
To get a better and more unique angle on the game, we asked Bucs Wire's lead writer Mason Riney some questions about the new-look team playing in Jacksonville.
Q: Which form of Baker Mayfield will the Browns see on Sunday?
A: I think the Browns are going to see
a better version of Baker Mayfield than Cincinnati did in Week 1. He actually threw the ball pretty well, but the turnovers completely changed that game. Three lost fumbles from your quarterback are tough to overcome, and I don’t expect that to become a regular thing with Baker. There’s obviously some history here with Cleveland too, so I expect him to come into this one with a little extra juice. If he takes care of the football, I think we see a much better week from Mayfield.
Q: Does Rueben Bain Jr. bounce back in Week 2, or do you think his struggling with his arm length in Week 1 was a sign of things to come?
A: I think Bain bounces back. Amarius Mims is a massive tackle with a lot of length, and he completely shut Bain down in Week 1, so there’s no really getting around that. But watching Bain, one thing that stood out to me was how many steps he was taking when he lined up on the edge before he actually attacked the tackle or went into his pass-rush move. It felt like he was giving Mims too much time to get set and use that length against him. The arm-length concerns with Bain aren’t new, but I’m not ready to say one bad matchup means it’s going to be a problem all season. If he gets off the ball and attacks quicker this week, I think we'll see a much better performance.
Q: Who should Browns fans worry about the most in the Bucs' offense outside of Mayfield?
A: I think it’s really the skill players as a whole. Bucky Irving is probably at the top of that list after putting up 93 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in Week 1. Jalen McMillan is also working his way back from the knee injury that kept him out against Cincinnati, and he’s looked good enough in practice to be a full participant this week. Then you have Emeka Egbuka, who already showed what he can do in Week 1. I’d even throw Kenny Gainwell in there. He only had six touches for 18 yards against Cincinnati despite playing 26 snaps, and I think Tampa Bay is going to want to get more out of him. Outside of tight end, there are a lot of weapons Cleveland has to account for.
Q: Which matchup in the game are you most excited to watch?
A: I’m really interested in Tampa Bay’s running backs against Cleveland’s linebackers. Bucky Irving was one of the bright spots offensively in Week 1, and I’m interested to see how the Bucs use him and Gainwell together after Gainwell's quiet game against Cincinnati. If Tampa Bay can get those guys involved in the passing game and get them matched up with linebackers in space, I think that could be a big part of the offense. Emeka Egbuka against Denzel Ward is right there too, because that’s a really good early test for Egbuka, but the running backs against the Browns' linebackers is the matchup I’m watching the closest.
Q: Prediction and Score
A: I’m going Bucs 31, Browns 16. Tampa Bay made way too many mistakes in Week 1 and still had an opportunity to win that game. I don’t expect them to turn the ball over four times again, especially at home. Cleveland has some defensive pieces that can make things difficult, but if the Bucs protect the football and get their skill players involved, I think the offense will have a much better day in Week 2.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns Week 2 preview: Behind enemy lines with Bucs Wire
