The Bucs fumbled away their chance to win the season opener, but they had a prime chance to get right in their home opener against the Browns. Admittedly, Sunday afternoon’s game at Raymond James Stadium lacked many positive moments. After a two-hour and 12-minute rain delay at the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter, they lost to Cleveland, 23-19.
It was a disastrous defeat, but a couple of players stood out. Here were the most impressive player performances in Week 2.
K Chase McLaughlin
Even from 59 yards out, Chase McLaughlin makes it look too easy. McLaughlin has proven to be one of the best kickers in the NFL, especially from long distance.
Chase McLaughlin converts from 59 yards out to open the scoring. Tampa Bay leads 3-0.
McLaughlin has 13 made field goals of 50+ yards since the start of last season, most in the NFL.
— Buccaneers Communications (@BuccaneersComms) September 20, 2026
He connected to put the first points on the board for Tampa Bay during Sunday’s game, also adding a 45-yard field goal to make it a 6-3 contest in the first quarter and a 31-yarder at the end of the first half. If that was not enough, McLaughlin gave the team a 19-16 lead in the fourth quarter with another 31-yard field goal. He deserves strong consideration for NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
McLaughlin has not received enough flowers for just how confident the team can be trotting him out there and having a kicker with elite range and pinpoint accuracy. For as good as he is, it says something that he also leads this column.
Bucs Run Defense
The Bucs’ front seven stymied talented second-year running back Quinshon Judkins all game long. Judkins could not get anything going toting the rock, tallying just 22 yards on 12 carries.
Bucs DT A’Shawn Robinson – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect
Tampa Bay’s run defense bounced back in a major way in this one, clogging running lanes and making several tackles for loss behind the line of scrimmage.
OLB David Walker
There is a reason I was leading the charge for David Walker to see the field more.
After having a very impressive training camp and preseason flashing his disruptive pass-rushing abilities, Walker made his NFL debut on Sunday. He made the most of that opportunity at the beginning of the second quarter, sacking Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson on third-and-11, which forced a Cleveland field goal.
Bucs OLB David Walker and Browns QB Deshaun Watson – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect
It was surprising that head coach Todd Bowles elected not to play Walker against the Bengals, but giving him playing time in Week 2 paid off. We will see how many snaps he logs going forward considering how the rest of the outside linebackers have largely disappointed.
KR Kameron Johnson
In a 23-19 game, Kameron Johnson gave the Bucs’ offense a shorter field to work with late in the fourth quarter after he had a 49-yard return right up to midfield. Under Danny Smith, the special teams unit has looked better, especially in terms of how they have handled kick returns and kick coverage.
WR Chris Godwin Jr.
I am scraping a bit here to find impressive performances, but Chris Godwin Jr. did look explosive with the touches he had. It started with a 12-yard designed run in the first quarter, and he also had three catches for 46 yards. Godwin did not have an official target until his 24-yard catch to start the second half, and all of his catches went for first downs. Getting the 10-year veteran more targets should be a priority as the offense looks to gain some steam in the coming weeks.
Adam Slivon has covered the Bucs for four seasons with PewterReport.com as a Bucs Beat Writer, Social Media Manager, and Podcaster. Adam started as an intern during his time at the University of Tampa, where he graduated with a degree in Sport Management in May 2023.
In addition to his regular written content, he appears every Thursday on the Pewter Report Podcast, has a weekly YouTube Top 10 Takeaways video series, and leads the managing of the site's social media platforms.
As a Wisconsin native, he spent his childhood growing up on a farm and enjoys Culver's, kringle, and a quality game of cornhole. You can find him most often on X @AdamLivsOn.
