Cleveland Browns 2022 opponent preview: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The tough stretch of the season continues as the Cleveland Browns host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 12 of the 2022 season

The Cleveland Browns play some impressive teams in consecutive games starting with the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 5 and ending with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 12.

There are divisional matchups in there including the Ravens and Bengals as well as showdowns with the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills.

Cleveland does get a bit of a break in Week 13 with the Houston Texans, but first, they have to host Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Buccaneers 2021 season

After winning the Super Bowl following the 2020 campaign, the Tampa Bay Bucs again had a solid season in 2021. They went 13-4 in the regular season — which was the second year with Brady under center.

They knocked off the Philadelphia Eagles 31-15 but then lost in the Divisional Round to the Los Angeles Rams, 30-27.

Tampa had a great year even though they had to overcome the drama surrounding Antonio Brown. The eccentric wide receiver quit on them in the middle of a game but they still rallied without him and barely lost to the team that wound up winning it all.

Key offseason moves

Tampa Bay lost a couple of their offensive lineman but added an underrated guard in Shaq Mason. They also replaced Antonio Brown with Russell Gage and signed Akiek Hicks as a replacement for Ndamukong Suh.

Their top rookie addition was Logan Hall and while they lost O.J. Howard and have yet to re-sign Rob Gronkowski, Cade Otton could be another steal for them behind Cameron Brate.

When do the teams meet?

The Browns and Bucs are set to play on November 27, at 1:00 pm in Cleveland. First Energy Stadium will need to be rocking for this one as the Browns try to knock off Tom Brady and company.

Last time the Cleveland Browns played Tampa Bay

The last regular-season meeting between the Bucs and Browns took place in 2018 when Tampa Bay won 26-23 in overtime. Jarvis Landry had 97 yards and a touchdown while Nick Chubb added 80 yards and a score on the ground.

However, the Browns’ defense struggled with Jameis Winston. They did secure two picks but he had 365 yards passing as well as 55 yards rushing and a touchdown.

Player to watch

This is easy — Tom Brady is the one to watch. The Bucs weren’t a bad team before he got there but with him, they’re perennial contenders.

Brady is the best to ever play the position and even as he approaches his mid-40s, he’s still a dominant force.