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.”