Tom Brady, Bucs lose more than game in overtime defeat in Cleveland

CLEVELAND — The Bucs lost the lead in the final minute of regulation, and then lost one of their best players in overtime, with tackle Tristan Wirfs getting carted off with a leg injury.

Cleveland got a 45-yard pass play from Jacoby Brissett to Amari Cooper in overtime, setting up a Nick Chubb touchdown and a 23-17 win over the Bucs.

Tampa Bay (5-6) saw its offense struggle to score consistently, and the defense couldn’t close out the game in the final minutes. The Bucs remain in first place in the NFC South, but only because the Falcons also lost Sunday.

Losing Wirfs would be a significant blow to their offensive line, as he made the Pro Bowl and earned first-team All-Pro honors last season.

Cleveland rallied for the tying touchdown with 32 seconds left, with tight end David Njoku making a leaping one-handed catch in the end zone on fourth down to tie the game at 17-17. The Browns had gone 46 yards in less than two minutes to tie the game after being kept out of the end zone since the opening drive.

The Bucs got to Cleveland’s 48-yard line with 0:08 left in regulation, but couldn’t get closer for a game-winning field goal, and Brady’s last-second heave fell incomplete at the goal line to send the game to overtime.

Before the last-drive letdown, Tampa Bay’s defense had kept the Browns in check in their first game after a bye week. The Bucs sacked Jacoby Brissett four times, the last by defensive tackle with three minutes left to thwart one potential game-tying drive.

The Bucs defense had clamped down after the opening drive, and when the defense couldn’t make stops, they caught fortunate breaks, like a fourth-down pass in Bucs territory that Browns receiver Cooper simply dropped in the fourth quarter.

Tampa Bay pulled ahead in the third quarter on an 80-yard touchdown drive, capped by Tom Brady‘s five-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Ko Kieft, good for a 17-10 lead. The Bucs attempted few downfield passes, sticking with short throws and screen passes for much of the day. As such, Brady was able to complete 20 of his first 23 passes, an 87% completion rate.

The two teams played to a 10-10 tie at halftime, trading touchdowns on their opening drives and not much after that. Cleveland got creative on its score, with receiver Anthony Schwartz taking a reverse 31 yards for a touchdown, then the Bucs answered with Brady’s 10-yard touchdown pass to receiver Chris Godwin.

The Bucs were without leading rusher Leonard Fournette, sidelined by a hip injury, turning things over to rookie Rachaad White. He had a 35-yard run on the third offensive play of the day for the Bucs, and he had 70 yards on nine touches in the first half, catching four passes for 23 yards.

Tampa Bay had lost a key defensive player when safety Antoine Winfield was sidelined in the first half, evaluated for a concussion. He had missed two games earlier this month with a concussion, returning for Tampa Bay’s last game in Munich before the bye week. Winfield returned for the second half.

Greg Auman is FOX Sports’ NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.