The Cleveland Browns are already facing some serious turbulence in their 2026 campaign, and that’s not even counting their travel nightmares. Reports are out that their team flight to Tampa for Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers hit some major snags. Greg Auman from Fox Sports said the plane “had to pull up due to inclement weather,” then “tried a holding pattern” before they eventually had to divert to Orlando just to refuel. Only then could they finally fly into Tampa. Talk about a rough start to game day.
Flight Nightmare Before Game Day
Imagine trying to get hyped for a big game and your team plane is doing all that? This is the Browns’ second straight trip to Florida to kick off the season, so you’d think they’d have the travel logistics down. But nope. First, it was Jacksonville in Week 1, and now this bumpy ride to Tampa. You gotta wonder what kind of mental toll that takes on a team. Getting rerouted, delaying arrival, it’s just not ideal preparation for an NFL matchup, especially when the stakes are already sky-high.
Week 1 Was an Absolute Trainwreck
And those stakes? They’re sky-high because Week 1 against the Jaguars was one for the history books, and not in a good way. Jacksonville absolutely ran over the Browns with a 34-10 victory. Honestly, the final score doesn’t even tell the whole story, it was way worse than that, with Cleveland scoring a garbage-time touchdown when there were fewer than two minutes left on the clock. Deshaun Watson had a brutal day, getting sacked five times. He also threw an interception and coughed up a fumble. Meanwhile, Trevor Lawrence for the Jags looked like a superstar, slinging four touchdown passes without a single interception. That’s a stark contrast, right?
Watson’s Facing Down the ‘Next Man Up’
Now, the really big news: ESPN’s Ian Rapoport dropped a bomb, reporting that the Browns are going to “further evaluate the quarterback position” after this Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers. And get this: Shedeur Sanders is apparently “the next man up” if they decide to bench Watson. That’s a lot of pressure, man. Watson absolutely has to play at a higher level in Week 2 than he did in that opening loss. And he’s coming into this game after his team’s travel was delayed just the day before. What a situation. He’s got to turn it around against Tampa, or we might see a new signal-caller faster than anyone expected.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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