Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield had a day to forget for the first 58 minutes of the Bucs’ clash with his former team, the Cleveland Browns. Off target for much of the day and struggling to generate anything offensively, Mayfield had seen the Browns turn a 16-6 Tampa Bay lead into a 23-19 Cleveland lead.

But after a two-plus hour lightning delay, Mayfield had all he could hope for: a chance. And it was a good one at the Browns’ 28-yard line with two minutes left. Bucky Irving got Tampa Bay down to the 19, and a Ted Hurst catch set up second-and-4 from the Cleveland 13. Inside a minute with two timeouts, time wasn’t a factor.

But then a Graham Barton holding call put the Bucs behind the sticks, and it fell even more on Mayfield’s shoulders to deliver. A near-catch in the end zone by Hurst on second down was followed by Mayfield getting tackled for a short gain, setting up fourth-and-11 from the 20.

Baker Mayfield had Emeka Egbuka open in the end zone on the Bucs’ final play, but misfired

Mayfield scanned the field, and for what felt like a rare occasion, he had all the time to throw. Despite the numerous overthrows deep, the first half interception that set up a Browns field goal, and the overall struggles against a Browns defense that got torched last week by Jacksonville, victory was running just down the field, wearing a No. 2 jersey. Emeka Egbuka had a step on his defender heading into the end zone.

Mayfield fired it over the middle and deep. Too deep for Egbuka, with the ball sailing well in front of him and off the wet turf to deliver victory for Cleveland.

There were plenty of reasons Tampa Bay lost. The Bucs’ offensive line was sloppy, with Barton getting flagged for two holding calls in particular. The Bucs’ pass rush might as well be on a milk carton. The pass defense whiffed again, busting on coverages and missing on tackles, with none worse than on Denzel Boston, who broke free from a tackle attempt and ran for a 55-yard touchdown to tie the game in the third quarter. And heck, Deshaun Watson, the man who replaced him in Cleveland, and despite being a disaster of an acquisition, outshone him on Sunday.

But despite all the mistakes, the man the Bucs agreed to pay $55 per year — more than any player in team history — had a chance to deliver victory. That’s what is expected of a player of that contract. That’s just what comes with the territory, fair or not. And Mayfield couldn’t do that.

Mayfield had this one circled. It clearly meant everything to him, and no one is hurting more than he is without a doubt. But Cleveland is in the past. Tampa Bay is now. The Bucs needed, and need, better from him. And he has to start delivering.