Next up on their AFC North tour, the 5-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face off against the 3-7 Cleveland Browns, following a Week 11 bye, on Sunday afternoon at FirstEnergy Stadium. The matchup is slated for a 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff on November 27 and will be televised on FOX. Coming into the Week 12 clash, the two teams are moving in opposite directions. Tampa Bay will look to strengthen their hold atop the NFC South after a historical outing in Munich with a complementary outing in Ohio which would allow the Bucs to hold on to sole possession of first place in their division. Meanwhile, the embattled Browns are faced with a harsh reality. Cleveland has lost six of its previous seven games, dashing playoff aspirations and causing disillusionment.
“We’re in search of a win any which way we can get it,” Head Coach Kevin Stefanski said following a 31-23 loss to Buffalo. “I know these guys are putting in the effort. We just have to finish football games, and it’s really frustrating.”
The Week 11 showing against the Bills became a microcosm of the Browns’ repeated woes down the stretch in 2022. Cleveland was in the driver’s seat to start the game and marched down the field, scoring on two of the team’s first three possessions for an early 10-3 lead. Jacoby Brissett led the Browns on a well-oiled opening drive touchdown completing four-of-four attempts, culminating in a 25-yard pass to Amari Cooper to put the Browns on the board. In addition, Nick Chubb looked on track for a breakout game after compiling 64 yards from scrimmage in the first quarter (seven runs, two receptions) but the downward spiral dictated/shifted the offensive game plan.
The Bills got a much-needed break when Brissett fumbled a snap from backup center Hjalte Froholdt midway through the second quarter, shifting the momentum. Up to that point, Buffalo was without a first down in the ballgame, while getting outgained 181 yards to a mere 12. The Browns’ offense is predicated and built to run the football. Cleveland continuously has success early on in games with a desired balanced approach – a mix of inside zone, outside zone, quarterback scrambles and screens in a run-pass option centric attack to open up play-action – however, when the Browns fall behind and are forced to become one dimensional, the struggles are evident. With Chubb’s early success in getting the Bills’ defense to over-pursue, then cutting back for chunk yardage, Buffalo adjusted by bringing safeties and linebackers down. The…
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