A fast start for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Paycor Stadium on Sunday evaporated quickly as three straight first-half drives ended in fumbles, all three of which led to touchdowns for the Cincinnati Bengals. Though Baker Mayfield threw for 216 yards and run for a touchdown and Bucky Irving had 93 yards from scrimmage and a score, the Bucs were unable to climb out of that early hole and eventually dropped their 2026 season-opener, 33-27.
Head Coach Todd Bowles pointed to some additional issues for the Bucs in their first outing but obviously conceded that the turnovers were the difference in the game.
"Obviously, you can't turn the ball over," said Bowles. "We had four turnovers and we lose by one touchdown. It wasn't just that. We had some penalties and false starts there. Defensively, I'd be interested to know how many tackles we missed. We missed some chip-shot tackles to get the ball back at the end and give our offense a chance. The sad part is that we didn't punt; it was either a turnover or points. We can't turn it over. Against a team like that that has very good players and closes well, we didn't help ourselves."
The loss broke a streak of five straight season-opening wins for the Buccaneers, dating back to the 2021 season. The last time Tampa Bay lost in Week One, in 2020, it went on to win Super Bowl LV at the end of that season. Sunday's game was also the Bucs' fourth straight loss to the Bengals in the head-to-head series. The Bucs actually lose any ground in the NFC South race, however, as Atlanta, Carolina and New Orleans all lost their season-openers as well.
The first of the three consecutive turnovers came on a sack of Mayfield, with Cincinnati LB Demetrius Knight returning the fumble 27 yards down the sideline for a touchdown. Irving lost the ball just three plays into the ensuing drive while fighting for a first down, giving Cincinnati the ball at the Bucs' 33 and leading to Joe Burrow's two-yard touchdown pass to TE Mike Gesicki. Tampa Bay took its next drive deep into Bengals territory but came up empty when Mayfield fumbled at the end of a long scramble to the goal line. The ball went into the end zone and was recovered by Cincinnati's Barrett Carter for a touchback, which the Bengals followed with an 80-yard drive ending in Chase Brown's five-yard touchdown run.
"This one falls on me," said Mayfield. "I think they had 17 points alone off my turnovers and it turns out to be a one-score game, six points. Offensively, it's frustrating when you do something like that, when you're moving the ball down the field. If we get that fixed, I get that fixed, make some corrections, we'll be alright."
The Buccaneers did pull back within seven points in the third quarter after a 51-yard Chase McLaughlin field goal and, moments later, a 38-yard interception return for a touchdown by rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter. However, the Bengals immediately got it back to 10 points on Evan McPherson's 58-yard field goal on the next possession early in the fourth quarter. The Bucs' comeback attempt took another big hit when Mayfield was sacked near midfield on the next possession, leading to a fourth lost fumble and another McPherson field goal.
It marked the first time the Buccaneers had lost four or more fumbles in a game since Sept. 18, 2014 against the Atlanta Falcons. They have not won a game in which they lost three or more fumbles since 2008. The rash of turnovers erased what had been an encouraging start to the season, as the Buccaneers had driven for a field goal on the game's opening drive and then forced a three-and-out on Cincinnati's first possession.
Trotter finished the game with a team-leading 10 tackles plus a sack, two tackles for loss and the big pick-six. Unfortunately, his was the only sack for a Buccaneers defense that is hoping to apply a lot more consistent pressure in 2026 after adding Rueben Bain Jr., Al-Quadin Muhammad and A'Shawn Robinson in the offseason. Burrow was not pressured often and hit just six times, allowing him time to complete 25 of 35 passes for 254 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Cincinnati gained 351 yards of offense to 282 for the Buccaneers.
"It was a good play on his part," said Bowles of Trotter's score. "That's a play he blew in practice. He learned from it and made the play from there. He made some good plays for us in the run. There's obviously some things he's still got to learn and get better at, but you can tell he's a gamer. He made that play to help us get back in the game. It energized us for sure and made it a one-score game."
Mayfield, in contrast, faced a good deal of pressure from a revamped Cincinnati defensive front. He was sacked four times but did successfully check down on a good number of snaps. He completed 23 of 28 passes for 216 yards and also ran five times for 30 yards and a score. The Bucs' rushing attack produced just 89 yards in support but Irving averaged 5.6 yards per tote (eight for 45) and tied a career high with seven catches for 48 yards.
"It's just the internal time clock," said Mayfield of the sacks he absorbed, two of which came from behind. "If that clock's going off in your head, keeping two hands on the ball in the pocket is a big emphasis. I thought I checked the ball down decently today, but at a certain point in the game, still ball security is the most important thing.
"[The Bengals] made a big upgrade in personnel. They were running off some twists and just consistent, relentless effort."
The Buccaneers lost starting cornerback Jacob Parrish to a back injury in the first half but fellow 2025 draftee Benjamin Morrison had a good showing in relief, with four tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass defensed and one stop that prevented a touchdown in the fourth quarter. CB Zyon McCollum added nine stops, a tackle for loss and two passes defensed.
"I thought he battled, he did some good things," said Bowles of Morrison. "He did some good things. There's some things he's got to learn, playing time-wise, but he got in there and he was composed. I thought for the most part he covered well."
The Bucs won the opening coin toss and decided to put their offense on the field first. The drive opened at the Bucs' 28 after a short return by Kam Johnson, and Irving got it off to a quick on a nine-yard cutback run. Mayfield took a deep shot on second-and-one and Egbuka got behind the defense but he had to slow up a bit for the throw and CB Jalen Davis just got an arm in the way at the last second. After burning a timeout just before the next snap, Mayfield faked a handoff and had time to let the play develop before he hit Egbuka on a crossing route for a gain of 17 into Cincinnati territory. An offsides call on the Bengals erased an incompletion, and Irving recovered from slipping nearly to the ground to once again cut back for a gain of nine to the 32. A tricky-looking end-around to Tez Johnson didn't work and he was trapped for a loss of four. A comebacker to Egbuka got 10 back, and Godwin fought his way past the sticks on a tunnel screen for a first down at the 21. One run each by Gainwell and Irving created a third-and-four and Mayfield was forced to scramble and eventually throw it away. McLaughlin came to give the Bucs their first points of the season on a 34-yard field goal.
Cincinnati's first drive started at it's own 26 but went three-and-out thanks to two good plays by CB Zyon McCollum, first a tackle of Brown after a gain of just one and then a third-down breakup of a pass intended for Chase. Tez Johnson returned the ensuing punt to the Bucs' 32.
Irving couldn't find a seam on his third run of the day and was stopped for no gain, and a checkdown to him on second down was good for just one yard. Disaster struck on third down when Mayfield tried to scramble and was caught from behind by Myles Murphy and Barrett Carter, resulting in a fumble that Knight scooped up and returned 27 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.
The Bucs' next drive also started with a sack, as Mayfield was dropped by Kris Jenkins for a loss of four. Mayfield found TE Cade Otton wide open on a seam route on the next play but Otton couldn't hold onto the ball, leading to a long third down. On third down, Irving tried to fight for yards on a swing pass but ended up losing the ball, with the Bengals' recovering at Tampa Bay's 33.
Burrow throw to WR Andre Iosivas on the right sideline for 12 yards, and three plays later converted a third-and-six with a scramble to the sticks, absorbing a hard hit from LB Alex Anzalone on the sideline. The Bucs forced a third-and-one at their own two but Burrow got the first down and the score on a quick slant to TE Mike Gesicki at the goal line.
Kam Johnson returned the next kickoff out to the Bucs' 34 and Godwin got four yards on a first-down swing pass thanks to a vicious stiff-arm on CB DJ Turner. Gainwell followed with a seven-yard run for a first down and a screen pass to Otton moved the chains again on the next play with a gain of 13 on the last snap of the first quarter. Otton was then called for a false start on the next snap to make it first-and-15, and Gainwell got three of them back on another screen. Mayfield found Egbuka again on a curl and the receiver fought his way upfield to get just enough for a first down at the Bengals' 32. Bengals CB Tacario Davis picked off Mayfield's next pass but only after blatant pass interference against Egbuka, giving the Bucs a first down at the 17. An offsides call on the home team made it first-and-five. Unfortunately, after escaping a near-sack and scrambling towards the goal line, Mayfield lost control of the ball and it bounced into the end zone and into the arms of Cincinnati's Carter.
The touchback brought the ball out to the Cincinnati 20 and nine-yard catches by both Brown and fellow RB Samaje Perine helped create two first downs. Burrow then found Chase open near the left sideline for a 16-yard gain to the Bucs' 39, and another Perine catch two plays later put the Bengals into a third-and-inches. Burrow converted that with a simple sneak over left guard. On the next play, Tee Higgins ran a short drag route across the middle and hauled in a 12-yard pass, with CB Jacob Parrish injured on the play. When action resumed, TE Drew Sample took a short pass and bulled his way to the five-yard line, leading to Brown dashing into the end zone untouched on first-and-goal.
Starting fresh at their own 25, the Bucs went backwards on first down when the Bengals sniffed out a screen to Irving. Mayfield zipped a quick pass into Egbuka's gut on second down to get the third down into a four-yard situation. Mayfield went down the middle of the field to find Godwin, who spun away from the closest defender and rumbled down to the Cincinnati 38 for a gain of 30. A third offsides call on the Bengals made it first-and-five and Mayfield connected with Egbuka again for 13 more. After the two-minute warning, a rollout pass to Otton worked to the tune of 10 yards and a first-and-goal at the 10. The Bucs only needed one play from there, as Irving took a handoff and bounced it out wide to the left, finding nothing but open field to the end zone. The extra point trimmed the Bengals' lead to 21-10 with 1:49 left in the half.
OLB David Walker dropped Bengals return man Dohnte Meyers at the 28 and S Tykee Smith broke quickly on a first-down Burrow pass over the middle to break it up. However, Gesicki found an opening in the zone on the next play and Burrow got it to him between two defenders for a gain of 16. A carbon copy of that play two snaps later too the ball into Bucs territory after which Gesicki promptly got open deep down the right seam for a gain of 20 to the Bucs' 20. The Bengals then used their first timeout with 43 seconds left in the half. On the next snap, Burrow saw a wide-open middle of the field and took off immediately for a run to the eight. A personal foul on Smith for hitting Burrow as he slide made it first-and-goal at the four. Pressure from OLB Al-Quadin Muhammad two snaps later led to an errant pass and a third-and-goal at the two. On third down, Burrow threw a short out to Iosavis but CB Benjamin Morrison reacted quickly and kept the receiver out of the end zone. The Bengals used their last timeout to think it over and then sent out kicker Evan McPherson for a short field goal.
Cincinnati got the ball to start the first half, opening at its 27 with a four-yard Brown run. However, Morrison sniffed out a swing pass to Chase and dropped him back at the original line of scrimmage. Unfortunately, Burrow had enough time on third-and-10 to allow Higgins to work open over the middle for a 29-yard catch and run. After a 13-yard run by Brown, McCollum took him down for a loss of one. Two plays later, Trotter blitzed up the middle and dropped Burrow for the Bucs' first sack, forcing a 55-yard field goal that McPherson drilled for a 27-10 lead.
A good Mayfield scramble put the Bucs into a short third down to start their next drive and a swing pass to Irving broke the back into the open field for a gain of 21 to the Cincinnati 42. Mayfield checked down to Irving on the next snap and that worked for seven more, followed by Gainwell spinning for a two-yard pickup. Gainwell got it again on third-and-one and tried to burrow for the yard but he was stopped short. The Bucs went for it on fourth down and a play-action pass to Gainwell worked well enough, but the Bucs took the five yards on an offsides flag instead. Three snaps later, it was third-and-six at the Cincinnati 24 and Mayfield was unable to get away from Jonathan Allen, taking a nine-yard sack. That led to McLaughlin attempting a 51-yard field goal, which he hit with ease to make it 27-13.
Another quick reaction by Morrison allowed him to drop Brown for just one yard on the Bengals' next snap, and two plays later it was third-and-five as the Bengals' offense went to no-huddle. Burrow then tried to get it to Iosivas in the right flat but Trotter jumped the route, caught the ball cleanly and run untouched to the opposite end zone for a pick-six that brought the Bucs back to within one score.
A penalty on Cincinnati on the ensuing kickoff return put the ball at the 17, but a tackle for loss by CB Keionte Scott was erased by a holding call against OLB Anthony Nelson. Burrow tried to go deep down the middle to Higgins on the next snap and initially appeared to have a big gain, but the Bucs challenged the ruling of a catch and won it, as McCollum had managed to dislodge the ball as Higgins landed on his back. Morrison broke up a second-down out to Higgins, but Burrow had so much time to survey the field on third down that he eventually got off a lob to a wide-open Gesicki for a gain of 24. An end-around by Meyers got the ball across midfield. A swing pass to Brown got eight to the Bucs' 36 on the last play of the third quarter. OLB Yaya Diaby took Brown down for a loss four to start the fourth quarter and DL Calijah Kancey chased Burrow into a throwaway on third down. McPherson came on again to calmly drill a 58-yard field goal.
The next drive started at the Bucs' 27 with a checkdown to Irving for four yards, which the back followed with an eight-yard dash up the middle for a first down. A nifty jump-cut at the line helped Irving get five more on first down, but a rollout completion to Godwin got just one and a false start made it third-and-nine. Mayfield kept the drive alive by scrambling away from pressure and finding Irving alone in the left flat for a gain of 11. However, a delay of game penalty cost the Bucs five yards, Mayfield was sacked from behind by Boye Mafe, leading to a fumble that the Bengals recovered at the Bucs' 44 with 10:31 left in the game.
The Bengals quickly got one first down before Brown found a seam up the middle for an 11-yard run to the Bucs' 17. A stop by Scott on third-and-five left the Bengals in a fourth-and-one and they tried to induce an offsides before taking the delay penalty and sending McPherson out for a 32-yarder and a 13-point lead with five minutes left.
Josh Williams got free up the left sideline for a 47-yard return to the Bucs' 49 to kick start the next drive, and Mayfield then threw three straight passes to rookie WR Ted Hurst for a total of 36 yards. A Mayfield scramble and a short pass to Otton made it first-and-goal at the nine as the clock ticked under four minutes. Two plays later, Mayfield scrambled again, this time up the middle, and juked a Cincinnati defender inside the five to get the score with 3:19.
Needing a quick stop, the Bucs let Meyers get open in the right flat and elude two defenders for a gain of 18 yards on the first play of the next drive. Perine then caught a pass on the right sideline and curved around Alex Anzalone for a 14-yard gain to the Bucs' 44, after which the visitors burned their first timeout with 2:17 left. Brown lost a yard on a plunge up the middle but still forced the Bucs to use their second timeout. An offsides call against the Bucs and a five-yard Brown run helped produce one more first down and the Bengals kneeled to end the game.
