The Buccaneers first drive at Paycor Stadium culminated in a Chase McLaughlin 34-yard field goal; however the subsequent three drives ending in fumbles led to 21 points for the Bengals. Though the Bucs did not punt, Joe Burrow threw a pick-six and Bucky Irving accumulated 93 yards from scrimmage, Tampa Bay's comeback efforts were dashed in a 33-27 loss in Week One.
"Well, obviously you can't turn the ball over," said Head Coach Todd Bowles. "We had four turnovers and lose by just one touchdown. But it wasn't just that, you know. We had some penalties, some false starts there. Defensively, I'd be interested to know how many tackles we missed, because we missed some chip-shot tackles. We get the ball back at the end, and give our offense a chance, you know. The sad part is we didn't punt. We had a turnover or points. You know, we can't turn it over against a team like that. They've got very good players, and they are coached very well. We didn't help ourselves."
Offensive Overview
The Cincinnati defensive front put Baker Mayfield under duress in the Week One clash. Mayfield was sacked four times but was able to extend plays using his legs once flushed out of the pocket or deliver darts to the checkdown. He completed 23 of 28 passes for 216 yards and ran five times for 30 yards and a score. The Bucs' ground attack tallied 89 yards with Irving as the star. He averaged 5.6 yards per tote and tied a career high with seven catches for 48 yards. After the initial 11-play, 56-yard drive that ended in a field goal and the defense's ensuing forced three-and-out, the game spiraled for Tampa Bay with self-inflicted miscues.
The first of the three straight turnovers came off a sack of Mayfield, with Demetrius Knight returning the fumble 27 yards down the sideline for a touchdown. On the next offensive drive, Irving lost the ball three plays into the possession while charging forward to try and get the first down, providing Cincinnati with the ball at the Bucs' 33 and leading to Burrow's two-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mike Gesicki. Tampa Bay managed to march down the field on the next drive into Bengals' territory but Mayfield fumbled at the end of a scramble towards the goal line. The ball bounced into the end zone and was recovered by Cincinnati's Barrett Carter for a touchback, stifling any momentum built for Tampa Bay. The next sequence for the Bengals culminated in Chase Brown's five-yard touchdown run. It marked the first time the Buccaneers had lost four or more fumbles in a game since Sept. 18, 2014 against the Atlanta Falcons.
"On the first strip-sack and I stepped out of the pocket, you have to know someone is behind you," described Mayfield. "At that point, just try and stay in the right play and keep two hands on the ball as long as possible. That goes for the last one as well. It takes away points and they go down and score a touchdown. (I wanted to) just try and get two hands on it at that point in transition, but did not get the ball high enough on the ball strip. They had 17 points alone off my turnovers and it turns out to be a one-score game at six points. Offensively, it's frustrating when we do something like that when we're moving the ball down field. We need to get those things fixed, make those corrections and we'll be alright."
Defensive Outlook
Rookie inside linebacker Josiah Trotter had a breakout game for the defense. He concluded the game with a team-leading 10 tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and a pick-six. Over the previous 10 seasons, only two NFL players have recorded a sack, an interception and five-plus tackles in their debut, including Trotter and T.J. Watt (9/10/17 at Cleveland). In addition, Trotter became the first player in Bucs' annals to record an interception return for a touchdown in an NFL debut game. Trotter had the lone sack of the day for the Bucs revamped defense. Burrow had time to deal from the pocket, allowing him to complete 25 of 35 passes for 254 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Cincinnati totaled 351 yards of offense and Ja'Marr Chase was held to just 12 yards in the clash. Gesicki led the Bengals in receiving with 78 yards and a touchdown on five catches, exploiting the middle of the field and off coverage by Tampa Bay.
