The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will play their 2026 home opener on Sunday, September 20, at Raymond James Stadium, when the Cleveland Browns visit. Both the Buccaneers and Browns will be looking to avoid an 0-2 start to the season after opening their campaign with road losses. Tampa Bay lost 33-27 in Cincinnati as their comeback fell short after the self-inflicted wounds of four lost fumbles put them in an early hole. The Browns fell into an even deeper hole in Jacksonville, going down 31-0 by early in the third quarter, after which the Jaguars finished off a 34-10 thrashing. The Buccaneers and Browns last met in 2022 in Cleveland, with the Browns tying the game with 32 seconds left in regulation and then winning in overtime, 23-17, on a Nick Chubb touchdown run. That ran Cleveland's lead in the all-time head-to-head series to 7-4.
The Browns finished the 2025 season ranked 30th in yards and 31st in points on offense, but their defense, led by since-traded NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, gave up the fourth-fewest yards and ranked 14th in points allowed. The Browns also ranked in the top five on defense in yards per play, passing yards per game, sack percentage and first downs allowed. The Buccaneers scored the 18th-most points in the league in 2025 and allowed the 20th-most, and fared well on third downs on both sides of the ball. Since both teams have played just a single game in 2026, we're going to utilize those final 2025 numbers for another week, and here's how the Buccaneers and Browns stack up against each other for Sunday's season opener:
When Tampa Bay Has the Ball:
| Buccaneers Offense | Category | Browns Defense |
|---|---|---|
| 21st (320.4) | Net Yards Per Game | 4th (283.6) |
| 25th (5.10) | Yards Per Play | 4th (4.75) |
| 17th (22.4) | Points Per Game | 14th (22.3) |
| 21st (114.5) | Rushing Yards Per Game | 16th (116.4) |
| 20th (205.9) | Passing Yards Per Game | 3rd (167.2) |
| 10st (41.2%) | Third Down Percentage | t-7th (36.3%) |
| 15th (6.81%) | Sacks Per Pass Play | 3rd (10.88%) |
| 15th (1.97%) | Interception Percentage | 14th (2.26%) |
| 23rd (54.0%) | Red Zone Touchdown Pct. | 18th (58.0%) |
When Cleveland Has the Ball:
| Browns Offense | Category | Buccaneers Defense |
|---|---|---|
| 30th (262.1) | Net Yards Per Game | 19th (337.2) |
| 32nd (4.33) | Yards Per Play | 25th (5.73) |
| 31st (16.4) | Points Per Game | 21st (24.2) |
| 27th (97.0) | Rushing Yards Per Game | 5th (99.1) |
| 31st (165.1) | Passing Yards Per Game | 27th (238.2) |
| 29th (33.6%) | Third Down Percentage | 15th (39.5%) |
| 25th (9.14%) | Sacks Per Pass Play | 24th (6.51%) |
| 29th (3.23%) | Interception Percentage | 13th (2.29%) |
| 25th (52.6%) | Red Zone Touchdown Pct. | 32nd (69.8%) |
Advantage Buccaneers: Ball Control on Defense
In 2025, the Tampa Bay defense was good at keeping opposing teams from mounting long, clock-killing drives. The Buccaneers only allowed 19 drives of any kind that lasted five or more minutes, and only six of those 19 resulted in touchdowns. This was due in part to a defense that only allowed a third-down conversion rate of 39.5%, which ranked 15th in the NFL. Cleveland's 2025 offense, meanwhile, converted just 33.6% of its third down attempts, the fourth-worst mark in the league, and was tied for 29th with only 21 total drives that lasted five or more minutes. In their season-opening loss in Jacksonville, the Browns only converted one of their eight third-down tries.
Advantage Browns: Big-Play Suppression on Defense
Last year, Cleveland's defense only allowed 180 plays of 10 or more yards, which was the seventh-fewest in the NFL. That included 134 passes of that length, which also tied for seventh in the NFL. That helped the Browns hold opponents to just 4.75 yards per play on the season as a whole, the fourth-best rate in the league. That defense, as noted, featured 23-sack superstar Myles Garrett, and while Garrett is now a Ram the Browns got Pro Bowl edge rusher Jared Verse back in the trade and also feature the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year in the middle of their defense in linebacker Carson Schwesinger. The Buccaneers' offense generated 5.10 yards per play in 2025, which was good for just 25th in the NFL, and in their opener in Cincinnati that mark was 5.42. The Bucs had just one run of 10-plus yards against the Bengals – Bucky Irving's second-quarter touchdown run – and just two completions of 20-plus yards.
X-Factor: Pass Protection
This was not a strength for either team in Week One, as Baker Mayfield was sacked four times and the Jaguars dropped Deshaun Watson five times. Tampa Bay's offense was reasonably efficient outside of the plays blown up by pressure, averaging 4.5 yards per carry on the ground and getting a 23-of-28 passing day and a 98.8 passer rating out of Mayfield. Watson was also able to complete 16 of 22 passes for 205 yards, a touchdown and an interception against Jacksonville. Whichever line shows the most improvement in keeping the pocket clean in Week Two should have an advantage in securing the victory.
