Jacoby Brissett was making his final start with Deshaun Watson due back in Week 13. For a while, it looked like his last game would end with a loss, especially when Kevin Stefanski had his team go for it on a fourth-and-9 in the final quarter. Brissett delivered the ball right to Amari Cooper, but the star receiver dropped the pass, drawing heavy boos from the crowd.
The Buccaneers, however, were unable to drain the clock, giving the Browns another chance. Brissett responded with a successful drive, ultimately finding David Njoku in the end zone, with the talented tight end made a one-handed catch. Tampa Bay still had an opportunity to score at the end of regulation, but Todd Bowles was guilty of some horrendous time management when he didn’t use any of his three timeouts during the final drive prior to overtime, forcing Tom Brady into an awkward Hail Mary, which fell incomplete.
Going into overtime added injury to insult for the Buccaneers, as Tristan Wirfs was carted off the field during the Buccaneers’ second drive. This allowed Myles Garrett to sack Brady on third down. The Browns took over with one final chance, and Brissett once again went back to Cooper. This time, Cooper hauled in a 45-yard bomb to redeem himself. This set up a short touchdown run for Nick Chubb, giving the Browns the upset victory.
Brissett was 23-of-37 for 210 yards, one touchdown and an interception in his final start. The pick was irrelevant because it came on a Hail Mary right before halftime. Brissett has proven himself to be an elite backup in the NFL, and there’s an argument that he can start somewhere next year.
