3 reasons the Browns can beat the Bucs in Week 12

2. Cleveland has played better than it seems

While the Cleveland Browns record isn’t anywhere close to what they want it to be, this team has actually been able to keep games close and play well. The biggest issue is they can’t put a full game of good play together.

The Buffalo Bills last week are a perfect example. For a quarter and a half, the defense was fantastic, for three quarters the offense moved the ball very well. But for more than 15 minutes of game time, the team looked like a junior varsity squad.

Early in the season the Browns also had games vs. the Jets, Falcons, and Chargers that easily could have been wins. Even if they get two of those, they are sitting at 5-5 vs. 3-7 with a real shot at the playoffs with Watson returning.

I still have a ton of questions about the mental toughness of this defense, but I think they could show up to the occasion for a full game on Sunday. If Myles Garrett can turn up the heat on Brady, it will make life for the secondary that much easier with less time in coverage. The Buccaneers have had a lackluster run game all season, so let’s hope that doesn’t turn on Sunday.

As down as I am on this team, the only game they’ve really been blown out of the water was against the Patriots. It’s actually almost impressive the different ways they have found to lose close games.