TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield admitted to being "pretty shocked" the Bucs are 0-2 for the first time since he has been their quarterback and the first time since 2014 after losing to his former team, the Cleveland Browns, 23-19.
"Pretty shocked. But it's where we're at. So we've got to fight our way out," said Mayfield, who could not lead the Bucs back from a 23-19 deficit against the team that selected him first overall in the 2018 NFL draft and traded him away in 2022.
Mayfield is now 0-2 against the Browns with his previous loss coming as a member of the Carolina Panthers, to whom the Browns traded him after securing quarterback Deshaun Watson in a deal with the Houston Texans.
Mayfield told the "Fourth & South Podcast" earlier this summer that he had this game circled on the calendar since the schedule came out. When asked if this loss stings more given the circumstances, he said, "No, [it] just stings more because we're 0-2."
"It's shooting ourselves in the foot, not making the plays when we need them, knowing that these are fixable things, but that also makes it more frustrating," Mayfield said. "But just got to get it corrected. We've got to be harder on ourselves, watch the tape, get those things fixed, flush it and move it on to the next."
The Browns grabbed the lead with 3:57 to go in regulation on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Watson to Blake Whiteheart that, with the PAT attempt, made it 23-19. A lightning delay right at the two-minute mark sent both teams into the locker room for two hours and 12 minutes.
When play resumed, running back Bucky Irving converted a third-and-1 with a 6-yard run that brought the Bucs down to the Cleveland 13-yard line. But a holding penalty on center Graham Barton on the very next play forced the Bucs into a second-and-14 situation from the Browns' 23.
On that play, Mayfield found rookie Ted Hurst III one-on-one on a go route against Mekhi Blackmon along the left sideline. Hurst, a third-round draft pick out of Georgia State who saw more targets than any other Bucs receiver Sunday and was brought in to help replace longtime X wide receiver Mike Evans, couldn't hang on to the ball as he slid into the end zone.
Hurst said rain wasn't a factor despite a heavy downpour that had visibly saturated the field and the ball. Still, those are conditions the Bucs have simulated in practice, including this week, with anticipation of inclement weather.
"No, honestly, I just have to make that play," Hurst said, adding that he thought he was going to score on the play.
After a 3-yard scramble from Mayfield, his last-gasp effort came on a fourth-and-11 throw to Emeka Egbuka, with whom Mayfield connected earlier on a 5-yard score. This time, however, Mayfield overthrew the second-year wideout.
"We just [have to] be able to make plays in the end," Mayfield said. "Obviously just [have to] trust that [Egbuka] is going to come out of that break a little slower with conditions and give him some air to run under it."
Mayfield went 6-of-17 on passes of 10 or more air yards. And 3-of-13 on passes of 15 or more. He was able to connect with second-year wideout Tez Johnson on a 49-yard pass, but when it mattered most to keep the chains moving, he went 3-of-8 on third down.
He was also intercepted in the first quarter that set up a Browns' field goal and could have gone for a score had it not been for a 10-yard holding call on Browns offensive tackle Austin Barber and a David Walker sack for a loss of 8. It was Mayfield's fourth turnover already this season.
"Frustrated cuz it's close," Mayfield said. "You can feel it. You can see it. We're moving the ball at times. And then just shooting ourselves in the foot. So that makes it more frustrating when you know you're right there. Our group is more than capable of handling stuff like this but we've really gotta be self-critical, look at the tape, get stuff fixed, and can't keep making the same mistakes over and over."
The home team's fans expressed their displeasure throughout the game in the form of boos when offensive drives stalled. It was a stark contrast to the excitement surrounding Mayfield securing a three-year deal worth $165 million just 12 days ago.
Bucs starting left tackle Tristan Wirfs didn't hold back saying, "It feels s‐‐‐ty. It's not a fun feeling, especially a home opener, against the Browns, it's frustrating."
Irving added: "We was waiting in the delay and we knew we had to go out there and win a football game but I feel like when we come into games like this, we can't take teams lightly like this because this is the National Football League and any team can get beat on any given Sunday."
Did the Bucs take them lightly considering they had been defeated outright by the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-10 in Week 1 and were mulling a quarterback change?
"I wouldn't say that we took 'em lightly but when you have teams stick around that you know you should supposed to be up on and you let them stick around, certain things like that happen," Irving said.
Coach Todd Bowles said the loss falls on everyone.
"Too many penalties offensively, too many missed tackles in the second half defensively," Bowles said. "Nobody is coming to save us. We've gotta fix ourselves and we've gotta fix it in a hurry."