After a vintage Bay area lightning barrage delayed the game for 132 minutes, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a chance to give fans an electrifying finish but couldn't get the ball in the end zone in a 23-19 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.

The forecast for Sunday indicated a high probability of rainstorms, but the weather stayed away until the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter, with the Bucs trailing by four and needing 28 yards to get the ball into the end zone. After both teams retreated to their locker rooms and the stadium grass took a heavy soaking, the game restarted just as a heavy rainfall did as well, and after getting one first down the Buccaneers could no closer than the 20-yard line.

On second down with 30 seconds left, Mayfield put a pass on Ted Hurst's hands just across the goal line but the rookie couldn't quite haul it in amid the heavy downpour and with a defender on his hip. A holding call then cost the Bucs 10 yards and Mayfield's final pass towards WR Emeka Egbuka in the end zone was a little out of his reach.

"Obviously, not an easy catch [for Hurst]," said Mayfield. "Ted's somebody that I trust. That's not going to change anything for me going forward. You know, tough play. I didn't get a real good look at it. I know he had a chance at it but the ball's going to keep coming back to him, going to keep finding him. We've just got to make the plays in the end, obviously. Just got to trust that 'Mek' is going to come out of that break a little slower with the conditions, and give him some air to run under it on the fourth-down play, too."

The loss dropped the Buccaneers to 0-2 for the first time since the 2014 season and put them a game behind Carolina and New Orleans, both winners on Sunday, in the NFC South standings. Tampa Bay has generally gotten off to quick starts under Head Coach Todd Bowles, going 2-0 in each of his first four seasons at the helm.

"We've dealt with adversity before," said Bowles. "This is an adverse situation again, first time at the beginning of the season but we're 0-2 right now. We've got to pull ourselves up by our boots and we've got to win.

"We're going to come out, we're going to correct our mistakes and we've got to get going."

The Buccaneers were attempting to answer Deshaun Watson's 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end Blake Whiteheart with just under four minutes remaining, which gave the visiting Browns their first lead of the day. A 49-yard kickoff return by Kameron Johnson got the final drive off to a good start but the extensive lightning delay came right at the two-minute warning and set up the disappointing finish. Bowles did not use the delay, or the hurried 10-minute warmup period before play resumed, as an explanation for the final outcome.

"[The Browns] were doing the same thing," he said. "That's not an excuse. We were ready to play. We came out, we warmed up, we had 10, they had 10. We've got to go out and make plays."

Chase McLaughlin made field goals of 59, 45, 31 and 31 yards, the first of which tied for the third-longest in franchise history. Browns kicker Andre Szmyt made all three of his tries, as well, from 50, 34 and 34 yards. Mayfield pointed to troubles completing passes in the red zone to leading to so many field goals, which kept the Bucs from pulling away early when the defense was playing well.

"It's unfortunate not making the plays all day in the red zone," said Mayfield. "Same story. Ended up with field goals instead of touchdowns down there and obviously negative plays. Just not getting enough completions down there and it came back to bite us in the end."

Mayfield completed 21 of 34 passes for 182 yards, throwing a touchdown pass to Egbuka in the third quarter to give the Buccaneers a 10-point lead. His interception in the first quarter was the only turnover of the game. Watson completed 24 of 30 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns, finishing with a passer rating of 121.9.

Tampa Bay took a 9-6 lead into halftime after a low-wattage first half that featured five combined field goals. The Bucs' offense never got into a rhythm but was supported by a defense that only allowed 59 yards and three first downs in the first half, with two successful stops on fourth down. Cleveland also did not convert a third down in six first-half tries. The home team committed the only turnover of the half, an interception of Mayfield by CB Myles Harden, but even the short field created by that pick only led to three points.

The Bucs' offense finally got into gear to start the second half, however, taking the opening possession 65 yards for the game's first touchdown. The drive featured a 24-yard catch-and-run by Godwin on the first play of the half, plus a gritty Mayfield scramble to the sticks on third-and-nine, setting up his five-yard touchdown pass to Egbuka. However, Cleveland's offense also found its footing and scored on its first two drives of the half, including a 55-yard touchdown catch by rookie WR Denzel Boston that featured some poor tackling in the middle of the field. That tied the game at 16-16 near the end of the third quarter. The Bucs retook the lead early in the fourth quarter on a fourth McLaughlin field goal set up by a 49-yard catch by Tez Johnson, but Cleveland countered with the 68-yard drive that ended in Whiteheart's score.

Tampa Bay's defense allowed just 267 yards of offense, including 44 on the ground, and held Quinshon Judkins and company to just 1.9 yards per carry. Rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter led the Buccaneers in tackles for the second week in a row with 11 but missed time in the second half with a shoulder injury. Second-year edge rusher David Walker recorded his first career sack and cornerback Benjamin Morrison logged seven tackles and a pass defensed. However, missed tackles, as well as penalties on offense, were a problem for the second week in a row.

"Too many penalties, offensively," said Bowles. "Too many missed tackles in the second half defensively. Nobody is coming to save us. We've got to fix ourselves and we've got to fix it in a hurry."

The Buccaneers will remain at home for two more weeks to face the Minnesota Vikings in Week Three and the Green Bay Packers in Week Four. Mayfield said the Buccaneers know what they need to do to get back on track.

"It's shooting ourselves in the foot, not making the plays when we need them, knowing these are fixable things," he said. "But that also makes it more frustrating. We've just got to get them corrected. Like I said, we're going to be hard on ourselves, watch tape, get those things fixed, flush it and move on to the next. We've got another home game next week against a good opponent.

"Pretty shocked [to be 0-2]. But we've just got to fight our way out."

Cleveland got the ball first and started at their own 32 after the kickoff return. Watson threw with Bain in his face on first down and hit WR KC Concepcion near the right sideline for a gain of nine. However, second-and-one turned into third-and-seven when OLB Yaya Diaby diagnosed a jet sweep by Concepcion and spun him down for a loss of six. The Browns tried to run for it on third-and-seven but Judkins was bottled up by LB Josiah Trotter after gaining just two. On the ensuing punt, the Browns committed a personal foul facemask penalty on return man Tez Johnson, putting the Bucs' first line of scrimmage at their own 36.

The Bucs got five more before their first snap when the Browns jumped offsides. A nifty fake-pitch and underneath handoff to Godwin worked to perfection as he shot through the line for a gain of 12. Mayfield then tried a deep shot to WR Ted Hurst but it was just out of the receiver's reach. A swing pass to Egbuka lost three back to the midfield stripe, before Mayfield scrambled up to buy time and hit Otton underneath for a gain of nine. Bowles sent out McLaughlin to try a 59-yard field goal and he hit a low liner through the sticks for the game's first points.

McLaughlin's next boot was a kickoff and his short knuckler hit the ground just barely inside the landing zone, with DB Keionte Scott stopping return man Malachi Corley at the 28. Judkins got the first-down handoff and went straight up the middle for nine yards, followed by a six-yard rumble over right tackle. Watson then found wide-open TE Harold Fannin for 21 yards into Buccaneers territory. Two short gains left Cleveland in a third-and-eight at the 34. A tunnel screen to RB Raheim Sanders left the Browns inches short of the sticks and they eventually elected to go for it on fourth down before a false start backed them up five yards. On came the field goal unit and Andre Szmyt nailed a 50-yarder to tie the score halfway through the first quarter.

Tampa Bay's second drive started at its own 25 and got moving with a four-yard run off right tackle by Irving. Another misdirection handoff worked to perfection again as Irving found the left corner open and dashed around it and downfield for a gain of 38 to the Browns' 33. A catch and a run by Irving combined for a gain of six yards but Gainwell couldn't hold on to a hard pass over the middle, leading to another field goal attempt. This one was from 45 yards out and McLaughlin was good again.

The Browns got the ball back at their 34 and quickly faced a long third down when Judkins' two carries resulted in a gain of two and a loss of four (stopped by CB Benjamin Morrison). Fannin bobbled and dropped a short third-down punt and Corey Bojorquez low punt bounced all the way down to the Bucs' 18.

Mayfield ran a bootleg right but all his receivers were covered and he had to run, just getting back to the line of scrimmage. On third-and-10, Mayfield took off again and this time was able to pick up 14 yards, with a five-yard defensive holding tacked onto the end. However, on the next snap Mayfield tried to hit WR Ted Hurst on the left sideline but CB Myles Harden made a leaping interception at the Cleveland 47 and returned it to the Bucs' 28.

A short swing pass to Judkins had an unnecessary roughness penalty tacked on the end to take the ball all the way down to the Bucs' 12, but the Browns gave nine back on a holding call. An incompletion and an eight-yard completion to WR Denzel Boston made it third-and-11 as the first quarter came to an end. After switching sides, the Browns tried to convert the long third down but Watson never got the pass off as he was dropped by Walker for a loss of eight. After a five-yard encroachment penalty, Szmyt again tied the game with a 34-yard field goal.

Gainwell got the ensuing kickoff out to the Bucs' 29, and Irving went over left tackle for five yards on first down. A complicated screen pass to Irving didn't work, leaving the Bucs facing a third-and-eight, and a holding call on what had been a successful scramble and completion to Godwin made it third-and-18. Mayfield found a way to keep the drive alive, surveying the field and eventually firing a laser to Hurst three yards past the sticks down the left numbers. Two Irving runs amounted to a total gain of three yards. Mayfield escaped initial pressure but couldn't outrun safety Ronnie Hickman. Riley Dixon's punt bounced into the end zone for a touchback.

The Browns committed holding on first down to move back to their 10, and a designed run by Watson was only good for two yards. A blitz by Scott worked to perfection as he dashed in to drop Watson for a seven-yard sack. Watson simply handed off to Sanders on third-and-25 and the three-yard gain was followed by a 57-yard punt that Tez Johnson rank back to the Bucs' 44 with seven minutes left in the half.

The Bucs quickly fell into another third-down hole, needing five yards with the ball just shy of midfield. Mayfield appeared to move the sticks with a pass to Irving but it came back on a holding call. Third-and-15 proved too much this time and Mayfield was sacked back at the Bucs' 32 by DT Mason Graham. Dixon's second punt was fair caught at the Cleveland 25.

A six-yard pass to Concepcion on third down left the Browns inches shy of a first down and they elected to go for it on fourth down from their own 34. DL Elijah Roberts denied Judkins on a run up the gut, stopping him for no gain and producing a turnover on downs that gave the Bucs' excellent field position with 2:45 left in the half.

The Bucs only ran one play, a one-yard run by Irving before the two-minute warning. After the pause, a quick out to Egbuka on the right sideline was good for eight, and Gainwell is able to stumble for just enough for a first down at the 22. Gainwell escaped a tackler deep in the backfield on a swing pass and was able to get five as the clock ticked below one minute. Gainwell then got a handoff and once again slipped a tackle early to get free for a gain of seven and a first down at the 10. The Bucs used their second timeout with 34 seconds left. Gainwell wasn't able to do it three times in a row, however, and another swing pass to him lost two yards and prompted the use of the Bucs' last time out at the 25-second mark. Mayfield was chased into a throwaway on second down and couldn't find an open man on third down. McLaughlin's third field goal, a 31-yarder, allowed the Bucs to take a 9-6 lead into halftime.

A touchback on the opening kickoff of the second half put the Bucs at their own 35 and Mayfield immediately hit Godwin for a gain of 24 yards on a crossing route. Irving detoured left after starting right on his next carry and picked up a lead blocker in Mayfield on a gain of 14. Two plays later, Mayfield threw down a tight tunnel to TE Cade Otton, who plucked the ball out of the air for a gain of nine. Mayfield kept it on second down to get a first down at the Browns' 15. Irving broke tackles to get four yards going right on first down, and a swing pass to the back was easily read by the Browns' defense, bringing up third-and-nine. Mayfield broke a tackle in the backfield and stiff-armed Hickman to the ground in order to get just enough for a first down at the five. Mayfield faced immediate pressure up the middle to get off a short pass to Egbuka, who had slipped but caught the pass while lying on the turf.

Cleveland started its first drive of the half at its 26 and quicky ran into a third-and-three after a short completion to Fannin. The Browns burned a timeout before running the third-down play and it was worth it, as Watson took a keep around right end and got eight yards. A completion to Boston for 15 yards and another to Concepcion for nine yards helped the Browns get down to the Bucs' 30. WR Isaiah Bond then ran an out to the left sideline and Watson hit him easily for another first down at the 20. Two plays later, S Tykee Smith read a tunnel screen to Concepcion and fired up quickly to drop the receiver for a loss of two to make it third-and-six. Watson dropped a back-corner pass in to Boston on the next play but the receiver couldn't get his second foot in and the Browns settled for a third field goal to make it 16-9.

Starting at the Bucs' 29, the Bucs got a quick 13 yards on an  Otton catch, though they had to challenge the initial call of an incompletion to get the correct ruling. Irving was hit as soon as he got the ball for a loss of five on first down and a deep shot to Egbuka fell incomplete. Tez Johnson got open deep running left to right but Mayfield's pass went well over his head and the Bucs had to punt. Dixon's kick was fair caught at the Cleveland 17.

Fannin spun away from an Anzalone tackle to get upfield for a gain of 13. A Winfield blitz pressure led to a Watson throwaway on the next down, but an incompletion on the next play was erased by a facemask personal foul against OLB Yaya Diaby. On the next play, Boston caught a pass down the middle of the field and got away from three would-be tacklers to break free for a 55-yard game-tying touchdown.

Kameron Johnson got the next kickoff back out to the Tampa Bay 29 and Irving got one yard on a first-down handoff and another one on second down, which brought the third quarter to an end. Mayfield put his next pass on Hurst's hands while scrambling right but safely Grant Delpit was able to break up the play at the last second. Dixon's punt went out of bounds at the Cleveland 27.

Judkins broke another tackle on a short catch out left and was able to gain 12 yards on the first play of the drive. Smith trapped Judkins in the backfield for a loss of three. Two plays later, on third-and-13, Watson couldn't find an open man and to scramble, picking up just five and leading to a punt that was fair caught by Tez Johnson at the Bucs' 16.

Tez Johnson ran a fly on first down and Mayfield threw deep, but it was well-defended by Denzel Ward and incomplete. The next pass went to Godwin crossing left to right and he hauled it in for a gain of 14. On the next play, a deep shot finally paid off as Tez Johnson got open on a post and Mayfield laid it into his hands for a gain of 49 to the Browns' 21. Three plays later, the Bucs faced a third-and-two. Mayfield had to scramble on third down and his pass in Hurst's direction in the end zone was nearly intercepted by CB Tyson Campbell. McLaughlin put the Bucs back on top with a 31-yard field goal with 10 minutes left in regulation.

Cleveland's next drive started at its own 32 and got a pair of three-yard runs from Judkins and Jaleel McLaughlin. On third down, Watson escaped a collapsing pocket up the middle and scrambled for a first down at the 44. A screen to Judkins out to the left was good for five yards, putting the ball a yard short of midfield and a completion to the same back got it into Bucs territory. Boston ran a deep out on third down and Watson's pass to the sideline was perfect for a gain of nine and a first down at the 40. Fannin caught another pass for eight yards and Sanders took it to the 31, with the Browns using a timeout before running their third-and-one play. Watson had Diaby hanging off him on third down when he was able to dump off a shot pass to Fannin over the middle for a first down at the 25. Diaby broke up a short pass intended for McLaughlin, but another out to Boston was good for eight. On the next play, Whiteheart leaked out to the left and was wide open and able to lope into the end zone after a short pass for a 17-yard go-ahead score. That gave Cleveland it's first lead of the game with 3:51 left on the clock.

Kam Johnson gave the Bucs a field position boost by taking the next kickoff all the way out to the Bucs' 49. A screen to Otton and an Irving run put the Bucs in a third-and-one at the Cleveland 42, and Mayfield faked a handoff and threw quickly to Godwin out to the left for eight yards. Irving churned his legs to push the pile on his next carry and pick up six yards as the two-minute warning arrived. At that point, the game was suspended due to lightning in the area.

When play resumed two hours and 12 minutes later, Irving took it up the middle and ended up a yard short of the sticks. Irving got it again on third down and had a seam opened for him up the middle for a gain of six. Mayfield then threw a quick slant to Hurst for seven more and the Bucs used their first timeout with 45 seconds left. A holding call on the subsequent play set the Bucs back 10 yards. Mayfield put the ball on the money to Hurst on the next play in the end zone but the rookie couldn't haul it in. Mayfield had to scramble on third down but only got three yards and the Bucs used another timeout before fourth-and-11. On the final play, Egbuka ran into the end zone and had his defender behind him but Mayfield's pass was out of reach.