TAMPA, Fla. _ The long-awaited preseason debut of the Browns' starting defensive line lived up to the hype, but the Baker Mayfield-led offense didn't have nearly as stellar a tune-up Friday night in a 13-12 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Browns compiled five sacks against Bucs starting quarterback Jameis Winston in the first half of the third preseason game, and with most of the starters for both teams playing the entire first half, it's worth noting the Browns led 9-0 at halftime.
The No. 1 defense gave fans of the home team at Raymond James Stadium cause for concern. Minor injuries prevented starting linemen Myles Garrett, Olivier Vernon, Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi from appearing together as an entire unit in the first two exhibition games, but it happened out of the gate against the Bucs.
The sneak peek of the front four was brief but dynamic.
On second-and-12 at the Bucs 29, Garrett created pressure, and Vernon sacked Winston for a 5-yard loss. The next play, on third-and-17 at the Bucs 24, Richardson got to Winston before end Chris Smith finished the sack.
"They're playing with some passion, some energy," Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said of the defensive front during a halftime interview with News 5.
Garrett only played the first series. But cornerback Denzel Ward, making his preseason debut after recovering from a minor leg injury, added another sack on the defense's second series. Then rookie kicker Matt Gay missed a 37-yard field goal by hitting the right upright, and the Browns went on to produce a first-half shutout.
In Winston's seven series, he went 9-of-19 passing for 88 yards without a touchdown or an interception. His passer rating was 60.9, and he rushed twice for 6 yards. Vernon sacked Winston a second time, and linebacker Christian Kirksey had a sack against him, too.
The problem is the Browns' offense didn't do much better than Winston and Co.
Mayfield also played seven series, the last of which was just one play, and he finished 10-of-26 passing for 72 yards with an interception. His passer rating was 30.6, and he took one sack.
With starting wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry sitting out along with starting tight end David Njoku and starting running back Nick Chubb, the Browns had at least a few dropped passes in the first half.
The starting offensive line, with Eric Kush trying to win the right guard job, had rough times, too.
"Offensively, we're not making any plays," Kitchens said at halftime. "The balls are there to be made, and we're not making any, so that's what usually happens when you can't protect and you don't make any plays."
Mayfield and Higgins connected for 6 yards and a first down on fourth-and-2 at the Bucs 23-yard line during a 13-play, 37-yard drive in the second quarter. But on the previous play, Mayfield's pass to Higgins in the back right corner of the end zone went off the receiver's hands while his arms were outstretched.
Later, tight end Demetrius Harris couldn't corral a Mayfield pass in the back of the end zone on third-and-goal from the 12, so the Browns settled for rookie kicker Austin Seibert's 30-yard field goal and a 9-0 lead with 6:29 left in the second quarter.
Seibert, a fifth-round draft pick who struggled throughout training camp, gave the Browns a 3-0 lead by making a 54-yard field goal with 8:40 left in the first quarter and a 6-0 advantage by making a 36-yard field goal with 13:17 left in the second quarter.
"He did what he was supposed to do _ hit it between the two yellow poles," Kitchens said.
On the final play of the first half, outside linebacker Carl Nassib, formerly of the Browns, hit Mayfield as he threw, and the safety Jordan Whitehead intercepted the pass.
The best aspect of Mayfield's outing was he didn't suffer a significant injury.
Bucs backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert can't say the same thing. After he relieved Winston to start the second half, Gabbert scrambled for 8 yards up the middle and left the game with 8:57 left in the third quarter, cradling his left arm as he walked to the locker room with medical personnel. It didn't take long for the Bucs to announce he had a shoulder injury and wouldn't return to the game.
Mayfield experienced a scare when Bucs defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh shoved him late out of bounds and drew a penalty for roughing the passer with 10:37 left in the second quarter. The Browns were lucky, though. Mayfield got up and slapped Suh on the backside.
They were fortunate in the second half, too. Rookie cornerback Greedy Williams took a trip to the medical tent on the sideline early in the third quarter, but he eventually returned to the game.
Backup quarterback Drew Stanton started the second half for the Browns. He went 3-of-6 passing for 37 yards, took a sack and generated a passer rating of 69.4 before fourth-string QB David Blough entered the game early in the fourth quarter. Third-string quarterback Garrett Gilbert got the night off.
The Bucs didn't score until 6:42 left in the third quarter, when Cairo Santos made a 23-yard field goal to trim their deficit to 9-3. They took a 10-9 lead with 19 seconds remaining in the third quarter when tight end Jordan Leggett scored a 20-yard touchdown on a pass from third-string quarterback Ryan Griffin, who was sacked twice by defensive tackle Devaroe Lawrence.
Seibert capped a 10-play, 31-yard drive led by Blough with a successful 35-yard field goal, allowing the Browns to go ahead 12-10 with 7:32 left in the fourth quarter.
Gay, a fifth-round pick in April like Seibert, bounced back from his first-quarter miss by making the game-winning 21-yard field goal for the Bucs with 15 seconds to play.
