ET in the Week 2 battle between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns following a lengthy weather delay. Lightning in the area around Raymond James Stadium forced a stoppage that lasted over two hours. Thunderstorms and heavy rain rolled in, creating large puddles on and around the field of play.
Stadium staff instructed fans to leave their seats and take shelter in the concourse and club areas. The teams retreated to their locker rooms. The NFL assesses all weather situations individually, but it will generally place games into a delay if lightning strikes within eight miles of the stadium.
Delays typically last for at least 30 minutes following the most recent lightning strike. This is currently the scene in Tampa. With 2 min to play players were taken inside and we’re in a lightning delay.
Browns on top 23-19. #nfln #espn #bucs #browns pic.twitter.com/imZbMaNu8f The Browns held a 23-19 lead at the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter when the delay began, but the Buccaneers were threatening to secure a late advantage. When play resumed, Tampa Bay had a second-and-4 from the Cleveland 28-yard line. The Buccaneers also had all three timeouts remaining while the Browns had two.
Kickers were active in the first half, as the teams traded field goals to make it a 9-6 Buccaneers lead at the break. Tampa Bay finally broke the touchdown seal on the first possession of the third quarter, and Cleveland responded with two of its own to take its first lead of the game with 3:51 to play. Those two scores highlight a bounce-back effort for quarterback Deshaun Watson.
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