{"id":398945,"date":"2026-09-13T22:04:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T22:04:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/398945\/"},"modified":"2026-09-13T22:04:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T22:04:18","slug":"tampa-bay-buccaneers-try-too-hard-to-be-superheroes-and-end-up-becoming-their-own-villains-in-tough-week-1-loss-to-bengals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/398945\/","title":{"rendered":"Tampa Bay Buccaneers try too hard to be superheroes and end up becoming their own villains in tough Week 1 loss to Bengals"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\tHome<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\/<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNFL<\/a><\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a><\/p>\n

The Buccaneers made some very bad mistakes while trying to do too much and it became their undoing in a tough season-opening loss to the Bengals.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"The
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) fumbles the ball as he runs in the second quarter of the NFL Week 1 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. Photo By: Sam Greene\/The Enquirer \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

From the beginning, it just didn\u2019t seem like it was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers\u2019 day.<\/p>\n

Baker Mayfield and the offense was having issues with the headset communication to the point where Mayfield had to swap out helmets within the first three plays, causing some chaos, but nothing compared to the four turnovers that would eventually consume the team in the 33-27 loss. <\/p>\n

As we all know, losing the turnover battle is the quickest way to lose a football game, regardless of the level of competition. The Buccaneers committed four turnovers to the Bengals\u2019 one and all four of Tampa Bay\u2019s mistakes led to points on the board for Cincinnati.<\/p>\n

The key aspect regarding the Buccaneers\u2019 turnovers was the nature of how they occurred. All four were the result of Bucs players trying to do too much: Poor ball security from Mayfield (and a blown assignment by Luke Goedeke) led to a strip-sack that was returned for six points. Bucky Irving was trying way too hard to gain a few extra yards on a 3rd and 14. Mayfield, again, didn\u2019t take care of the ball as he escaped pressure and tried to get into the end zone.<\/p>\n

And lastly, Mayfield held onto the ball way too long trying to make a play on a 1st and 15. <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, obviously you can\u2019t turn the ball over,\u201d Todd Bowles told reporters after the game. \u201c\u2026 We had four turnovers. We lose by one touchdown, but it wasn\u2019t just that. You know, we had some penalties and some false starts there. Defensively, I\u2019d be interested to know how many tackles we missed. We missed some chip shot tackles to get the ball back at the end to give our offense a chance. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe sad part is we didn\u2019t punt. It was either turnover or points, and you know we can\u2019t turn it over. So against a team like that, and they got very good players, and they coach very well. We didn\u2019t help ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sure, you always want to be aggressive and make a play, but there\u2019s also a necessary component of doing that responsibly, so to speak. And the Buccaneers didn\u2019t do that. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis one falls on me,\u201d said Mayfield. \u201cI mean, they had I think 17 points alone off my turnovers. Turns out to be a one-score game, six points. So it\u2019s offensively, that\u2019s frustrating when you do something like that when you\u2019re moving the ball up and down the field. But if we get that fixed, I get that fixed, and make those corrections, and we\u2019ll be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

The good news is they are mistakes that can be corrected and there\u2019s little reason to think they can\u2019t correct them. Unfortunately, however, only time will tell.<\/p>\n

Josiah Trotter\u2019s historical debut is the biggest bright spot of the Buccaneers\u2019 loss to the Bengals<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t all bad on Sunday and the biggest bright spot of the game (on the Bucs\u2019 side of things) was easily Josiah Trotter\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n

The second-round rookie was literally everywhere. He finished the game with 10 total tackles, a pick-six, a sack, two tackles for loss, a quarterback hit, and a pass break-up. He even had a nice special teams tackle on one of the Bengals\u2019 kick returns.<\/p>\n

Per ESPN\u2019s Jenna Laine<\/a>, Trotter is the first rookie with a pick-six and a sack in his NFL debut since sacks became an official stat in 1982. Per Buccaneers Communications<\/a>, Trotter\u2019s seven tackles at one point tied Bucs legend Derrick Brooks and former third-rounder Mason Foster for the most tackles in a Week 1 debut since tackles became officially tracked in 1995.<\/p>\n

That kind of play is exactly what the Buccaneers need at the inside linebacker position and hopefully Trotter can continue to provide those kind of impact plays as the season goes on.<\/p>\n

While it was a frustrating loss, it\u2019s only Week 1. The Buccaneers still have plenty of time to adjust and learn from the mistakes that cost them this game and next week\u2019s game against the Cleveland Browns is a great starting point.<\/p>\n

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