The Cleveland Browns beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-19 at Raymond James Stadium. Deshaun Watson's 17-yard touchdown pass to Blake Whiteheart with 3:51 left gave Cleveland a lead it never gave back.

The Buccaneers outgained the Browns and more than tripled their rushing output. It did not matter. Tampa Bay found the end zone once all day, and Cleveland scored two touchdowns in the final 17 minutes.

How It Happened

The first quarter was a kicking contest. Chase McLaughlin opened the scoring with a 59-yard field goal, and Andre Szmyt answered from 50. McLaughlin hit again from 45, and Tampa Bay led 6-3 after one.

Szmyt tied it at 6-6 with a 34-yarder early in the second quarter. McLaughlin's 31-yard field goal with 12 seconds left sent Tampa Bay into halftime up 9-6.

Tampa Bay finally found the end zone in the third quarter. Baker Mayfield hit Emeka Egbuka for a 5-yard touchdown, and the Buccaneers led 16-6. Szmyt cut it to 16-9 with another 34-yard field goal.

Then Cleveland struck quickly. Watson found Denzel Boston for a 55-yard touchdown with 1:23 left in the third, and the game was tied at 16.

McLaughlin's fourth field goal, from 31 yards, put Tampa Bay back in front 19-16 with 9:58 to play. Watson answered with the touchdown to Whiteheart, and the Browns held on.

Key Performers

Deshaun Watson: 2 TD passes – 55 YDS to Denzel Boston, 17 YDS to Blake Whiteheart
Browns passing: 24-30, 223 YDS, 2-0 (TD-INT)
Andre Szmyt: 3 field goals (50, 34, 34 YDS), 2 extra points
Chase McLaughlin: 4 field goals (59, 45, 31, 31 YDS), 1 extra point
Buccaneers rushing: 25 ATT, 137 YDS

Cleveland's passing game carried everything. The Browns ran 23 times for 44 yards, under 2 yards a carry, so the offense lived on completing 24 of 30 throws without an interception. The first touchdown strike tied the game late in the third quarter, and the second one won it.

McLaughlin accounted for 13 of Tampa Bay's 19 points. That is the problem in one number. A kicker should not be the leading scorer in a game where the offense ran for nearly 140 yards.

What It Means

The Browns are 1-1, with both games on the road. Winning a game in which the run game produced 3 first downs is not a sustainable formula, but clean football travels. Cleveland finished without a turnover, while Tampa Bay threw 1 interception.

The Buccaneers fall to 0-2 and lost their home opener. They had the better ground game, more first downs and a slightly better third-down rate, converting 7 of 16 to Cleveland's 5 of 13. They still lost, because 4 of their 5 scores were field goals.

Tampa Bay's issue is not moving the ball. It is finishing drives: 1 touchdown on 11 possessions. Until the Buccaneers turn more of those trips into touchdowns, games like this one will keep slipping away in the fourth quarter.