Browns vs. Buccaneers NFL parlay: It's Baker Mayfield's payback game, but Tampa Bay QB already has last laugh — SkimNews
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- Tampa Bay opened as 8.5-point home favorites over Cleveland for Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff at Raymond James Stadium, drawing 94% of handle and 83% of tickets at DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Baker Mayfield still owns Cleveland's QB records for wins (29), passing yards (14,125) and touchdowns (92) since Bernie Kosar's 1985-93 era, and is the only Browns QB with a playoff win this century.
- Since trading Mayfield to Carolina in July 2022, Cleveland quarterbacks are last in the NFL in completion percentage (59%) and TD-to-INT ratio (79:77), going 26-43 with 10 different starters.
- Deshaun Watson went 16-of-22 for 205 yards in his first start since October 2024 but absorbed five sacks in a 34-10 Week 1 loss at Jacksonville, and is 0-6 SU and 1-5 ATS in his past six starts.
- Tampa Bay is 3-0 in home openers under Mayfield and seeks to avoid its first 0-2 start since 2014 — the NFL's third-longest active streak of avoiding an 0-2 opening.
- The Browns have not allowed a 300-yard passer in 46 straight games, the NFL's longest active streak since the Colts from 2005-08, making Mayfield a +1020 longshot to crack 300 yards Sunday.
Why it matters: Tampa Bay is laying 8.5 points at home against a franchise that has cycled through 10 starting quarterbacks while going 26-43 since shipping out the QB whose records they still can't touch. The 94% handle on Tampa underscores how lopsided this matchup looks to bettors, and Cleveland's 30-season active streak without a 2-0 start is very much in danger.
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