3 Takeaways from Browns' Week 12 Win vs. Buccaneers

At 4-7, the Cleveland Browns are highly unlikely to make the postseason in 2022. However, Sunday's overtime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at least provided a little hope as Cleveland awaits the debut of quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Watson's suspension for violation of the league's personal conduct policy—which came after Twenty-five women filed lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct or sexual assault—is set to end this week. A 10-7 or 8-9 finish is still technically possible for the Browns. Whether that is enough to make the playoffs is another story.

Was it a pretty game for Cleveland? Absolutely not. The Browns scored a touchdown on their opening drive and then didn't find the end zone again until mere seconds remained in regulation.

However, the defense played well enough to contain Tom Brady and the Buccaneers offense to give Cleveland a chance, which was a nice change after it crumbled in losses to the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills.

The win keeps Cleveland's slim playoff hopes alive, which is perhaps the biggest takeaway from Week 12. Here's what else we learned during the Browns' Week 12 win over Tampa Bay.

We've spent plenty of time this season discussing what has gone wrong for the Browns, and a lot of the team's issues stem from coaching. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has made some questionable calls, and defensive coordinator Joe Woods' scheme may be too complicated for some of the players.

"If you don’t know what you’re doing, then it never works," safety Grant Delpit said after last week's loss to Buffalo, per Dan Labbe of Cleveland.com.

However, it was clear on Sunday that the players aren't giving up on the season just yet.

Myles Garrett's speedy third-down sack of Brady in overtime was exactly the sort of try-hard play that teams aren't going to get when they've given up. And Garrett was far from the only player fighting against a tough Buccaneers team on Sunday.

Nick Chubb racked up 116 hard-earned yards, while Amari Cooper (seven catches for 94 yards) had yet another fantastic game. The defense pressured Brady throughout the game, got to him three times and limited big plays from guys not named Chris Godwin.

This was arguably Cleveland's best total team effort of the season aside from the Week 8 blowout win over the rival Cincinnati Bengals. It may have come too late to turn anything around, but the Browns are still giving a maximum effort.

Cleveland fans have seen some past Browns teams abandon hope late in disappointing campaigns. This is not one of those teams.

Godwin torched the Browns secondary for 110 yards and a touchdown while catching 12 of 13 targets. His running mate, Mike Evans, was much quieter on the afternoon.

This was a testament to just how well rookie cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. played on Sunday, as he was matched up with Evans for most of the game. Evans finished with just two catches for 31 yards on nine targets.

There's virtually no chance that Cleveland would have won this game if Emerson hadn't shined as brightly as he did.

Emerson has been a bright spot for Cleveland all season. The third-round draft pick out of Mississippi State has been one of the league's best rookie defenders in 2022 and has already notched 50 tackles and an impressive 11 passes defended.

Marcus Mosher of Pro Football Focus recently placed Emerson on his list of the 25 best cornerbacks in the NFL.

"Emerson is a liability as a run defender—the only reason he's not ranked inside the top 20 of our list," Mosher wrote. "Still, the sky is the limit for the former third-round pick from Mississippi State."

Evans, Brady and the Buccaneers got a firsthand look at just how special Emerson can be on Sunday.

With Watson expected to debut for the Browns in Week 13, Sunday likely marked the final start for quarterback Jacoby Brissett in 2023. Hopefully, Cleveland fans appreciate just how well Brissett has played this season.

The 29-year-old faced a very unenviable position with the Browns, starting the first 11 games while knowing that he was merely a placeholder. Yet, he fully embraced his role as a leader in the locker room.

"Grateful for this opportunity. Grateful for those men in that room," Brissett said, per 92.4 The Fan.

And Brissett has played just about as well as any quarterback has for the expansion-era Browns. If he is indeed done for the year, he finishes with 2,608 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, six interceptions and a respectable 89.1 passer rating. He was instrumental in getting the win on Sunday.

Brissett did have an interception—on a desperation heave to end the first half—but he finished with 210 passing yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 27 yards. He made two clutch plays late.

The first was the 12-yard touchdown pass to David Njoku on 4th-and-10. The second was a 45-yard strike to Cooper that set up Chubb's walk-off overtime touchdown. Brissett bought a lot of time in the pocket on that play before Cooper broke free in the secondary.

Ideally, Cleveland will retain Brissett as a long-term backup in the offseason, but that's probably not going to happen. Brady's former understudy has shown this season that he deserves a chance to start somewhere in 2023.