Mayfield, Winston struggle as Bucs rally late to beat Brown
Lions lose Davis, Ragnow to injuries and game 24-20 to Bills
TAMPA, Florida, Aug 24, (AP): The start of the NFL regular season is still a couple of weeks away, and that’s good news for the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who showed they still have a lot of work to do to get ready.
And while neither Baker Mayfield nor Jameis Winston played particularly well during the Bucs’ 13-12 preseason victory at Raymond James Stadium, the young quarterbacks were not overly concerned about a lack of offensive execution.
Both teams were missing key players, though Mayfield said that’s not an excuse.
The Browns played without star receiver Odell Beckham Jr and Jarvis Landry, among others.
Matt Gay’s 21-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining was the difference in the end.
The rookie’s game-winner capped a 16-play drive lasting more than seven minutes. Cairo Santos booted a 23-yard field goal in the third quarter and thirdstringer Ryan Griffin threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Leggett for the Bucs (2-1).
Rookie Austin Seibert kicked four field goals for the Browns (2-1), who led 9-0 when Mayfield and the rest of Cleveland’s starters left the game.
Mayfield, the No. 1 overall pick from the 2018 draft, started and played the entire first half after getting just one series of work in Cleveland’s preseason opener against Washington and sitting out last week’s game at Indianapolis.
Playing without Beckham (hip) and Landry, the second-year quarterback led three short field-goal drives and was not particularly sharp while completing 10 of 26 passes for 72 yards and one interception.
Winston had an even rockier night, though it wasn’t all his doing.
Gay missed a 37-yard field goal and Tampa Bay’s leaky offensive line had difficulty protecting Winston, allowing five sacks while the fifth-year pro was in the game. The No. 1 overall pick from the 2015 draft, who’s closing in on becoming the franchise’s career passing leader yet still trying to prove he’s the club’s long-term answer at quarterback, finished 9 of 19 for 88 yards without an interception.
Winston played seven series after seeing limited action the previous two weeks against Pittsburgh and Miami. Backup Blaine Gabbert started the second half and led the Bucs into fieldgoal range before falling awkwardly at the end of an 8-yard scramble and heading to the locker room with a left shoulder injury. Griffin’s TD pass to Leggett gave Tampa Bay a short-lived 10-9 lead late in the third quarter.
Bills 24, Lions 20 In Detroit, Matthew Stafford got on the field for the first time in the preseason and left the game unscathed.
Some teammates and opponents were not as fortunate.
Stafford threw a go-ahead touchdown pass and the Buffalo Bills came back to beat the Detroit Lions 24-20 Friday night in a preseason game that became significant because key players on both teams were hurt.
Detroit linebacker Jarrad Davis was carted off the field early in the first quarter with an injured right leg and center Frank Ragnow had to be helped off the field after appearing to hurt his right knee. Bills guard Quinton Spain limped off the field with an ankle injury in the first quarter and cornerback Tre’Davious White left the game with a bruised quadriceps in the second quarter.