The Cincinnati Bengals took their first steps on their road to a Super Bowl on Sunday as they hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as part of the NFL’s slate of Week 1 games. After three seasons of missing the playoffs, the Bengals held off a talented Buccaneers team, winning 33-27.

It wasn’t always pretty, and the Bucs were able to keep themselves in the game, thanks to an out-of-character pick-six thrown by Burrow in the third quarter, but they got it done.

Here are the Bengals’ winners and losers from Week 1:

After a taste of postseason success, Bengals fans around the world have been starved of watching their team in the playoffs for three seasons. While it’s only Week 1, and talking about the playoffs now would be irresponsible, Bengals fans were treated to a win in Week 1 at home, something they’ve only done once in the Zac-Taylor era.

It was nerve-wracking at times, but I’ll take it.

Speaking of Taylor, the Bengals have now won back-to-back season openers after winning just one opener in the prior six seasons under his watch. And while there were some Week 1 kicks to work out, this was a rather complete performance for the team against a Bucs team that will be a strong playoff contender.

This win will also quiet the hot-seat talk for at least a couple of weeks. Next week at Houston will be tough, but after a win today, the worst the Bengals can start is 1-1.

Gesicki is TE1 on the roster, but he’s really more of a slot receiver, making him WR3 when he’s lined up in the slot. He not only caught Joe Burrow’s first touchdown pass of the season, but he helped move the chains several times and ended the game with five receptions for 78 yards and a score.

He was WR3 all day, and with the Bucs focusing all of their attention on Chase and Higgins, Gesicki found himself open in space all afternoon.

Demetrius Knight Jr and Barrett Carter

Some scratched their heads about the Bengals’ decision to not address the linebacker position this offseason after Knight and Carter, who were both rookies in 2025, struggled last season. The front office was counting on the year of experience and a rebuilt defensive line to help make things easier for the young linebackers.

It wasn’t perfect, but so far they seem to be right. Not only did Knight score the first touchdown of the 2026 season on a scoop-and-score fumble recovery following a strip sack from Myles Murphy, but he and Carter both made a handful of big plays, including a couple of tackles for loss.

The Bengals, who ran out of the shotgun more than any other team in the league last year, put a big emphasis on Burrow playing under center more in 2026. He did line up behind center a lot more than usual in Week 1, and that directly benefited Brown more than just about anyone else.

Brown finished the game with 56 rushing yards and scored the team’s first offensive touchdown of the season. He also caught five passes for an additional 23 yards. With Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the roster, Brown might be the most overlooked player on the offense. Hopefully he punishes opposing teams all year for overlooking him.

Bengals’ Offensive Line

This is the first time in Burrow’s career that he has had the same five guys on the offensive line in consecutive seasons, and it showed on Sunday. Burrow, who has been one of the most-hit quarterbacks throughout his career, was only sacked once and found himself in the pocket with plenty of time to read and react to the secondary more often than not.

Money Mac was able to keep the Bucs at arm’s distance when Burrow and the Bengals’ offense were shut down. He was good from 20 yards, 32 yards, 55 yards, and 58 yards on Sunday. While a field goal isn’t as good as a touchdown, it’s nice to know that the Bengals’ kicker has a long leg and is still accurate from long distances.

A field goal missed could be the difference between a win and a loss, so having a guy you can rely on is huge.

He even made a tackle on a long kick return by the Bucs in the fourth quarter.

A big reason for the defense’s big day was Mafe making several game-changing plays. First, he recovered a fumble in the first half, and the offense capitalized with a touchdown in the ensuing possession. Then in the fourth quarter with Tampa Bay threatening to get back in the game, Mafe strip-sacked Baker Mayfield, and the Bengals were able to turn that into three points. That’s 10 points Mafe helped create in a game decided by just six points.

For three quarters, Meyers barely saw the field in what was his NFL debut. But late in the game, the Bengals went to Meyers twice, first on a 10-yard run for a first down in the fourth quarter on a drive that led to a field goal, then on an 18-yard pass in the final drive to help ice the game. Meyers ended up doing more than Ja’Marr Chase (more on him later). It’s clear that the Bengals have real plans for the former CFL star to make an impact this season.

The Bengals’ turnover margin

The Bengals were -4 in the turnover margin in 2025, with 24 total turnovers and 20 takeaways. On Sunday, they were +3 with four takeaways and only one turnover. The turnover came on a pick-six thrown by Burrow, but the Bengals’ defense forced four fumbles, all of which they recovered.

Hopefully this trend continues throughout the season.

The defensive line’s ability to line up correctly

The Bengals’ revamped defensive line, now featuring a lot of new faces, struggled to get lined up correctly and was flagged several times for lining up in the neutral zone. It happened three times in the first half alone, and Allen, who was called twice, was called for the team’s fourth such penalty in the third quarter.

It shouldn’t be that hard to see where the ball is.

Ja’Marr Chase’s fantasy owners

If you were able to select Chase in your fantasy draft this year, it means you used the second or third, or possibly even the first-overall pick on him. That wasn’t a bad decision—after all, Chase is the best wide receiver in the league, and he has almost a preternatural connection with his quarterback.

He only caught two passes for 12 yards all day.

I wouldn’t look into it, but if you have him on your team, you probably lost in Week 1.

Who are your winners and losers from the Bengals’ Week 1 win over the Bucs?