For years, the Cincinnati Bengals have entered games knowing Joe Burrow and the offense might have to carry them.
Week 1 gave us something very different.
Cincinnati’s revamped defense forced four turnovers, created points of its own and repeatedly punished Tampa Bay mistakes as the Bengals opened the season with a 33-27 victory over the Buccaneers.
Joe Burrow and the offense had their moments, but this game belonged to Cincinnati’s defense.
Tampa Bay Starts Fast
The Buccaneers actually struck first.
Tampa Bay moved into scoring range on its opening possession before Chase McLaughlin connected from 34 yards to give the Buccaneers an early 3-0 lead.
Then everything changed.
Baker Mayfield was strip-sacked by Myles Murphy, and Demetrius Knight Jr. scooped up the loose football and returned it 27 yards for Cincinnati’s first touchdown of the season.
The Bengals suddenly led 7-3 without their offense having to find the end zone.
It would not be the last time Tampa Bay gave Cincinnati a gift.
The Turnovers Keep Coming
On Tampa Bay’s very next possession, Bucky Irving lost a fumble and Cincinnati recovered again.
This time Burrow took advantage.
He found Mike Gesicki for a two-yard touchdown, and within minutes Cincinnati had turned a 3-0 deficit into a 14-3 lead.
Tampa Bay responded by driving deep into Bengals territory, but disaster struck again.
Mayfield scrambled toward the goal line before fumbling at the four-yard line. The ball rolled into the end zone and Cincinnati recovered.
Three consecutive Tampa Bay possessions.
Three fumbles.
Three Cincinnati recoveries.
The Bengals then marched 80 yards before Chase Brown finished the drive with a five-yard touchdown run.
Cincinnati led 21-3.
Tampa Bay Refuses to Go Away
Despite all the mistakes, the Buccaneers kept fighting.
Irving scored on a 10-yard run late in the second quarter to cut Cincinnati’s lead to 21-10.
The Bengals added an Evan McPherson field goal before halftime, sending Cincinnati into the locker room ahead 24-10.
McPherson added another field goal from 55 yards early in the third quarter to extend the advantage to 27-10.
At that point, Cincinnati appeared to have complete control.
Then Tampa Bay’s defense changed the game.
Burrow’s Mistake Gives Tampa Life
After McLaughlin connected from 51 yards, Tampa Bay needed another big play.
Rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter provided it.
Trotter intercepted Burrow and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown, suddenly cutting Cincinnati’s lead to 27-20.
A game that had once been 21-3 was now separated by one touchdown.
For the first time since Tampa Bay’s early turnovers, Cincinnati was under real pressure.
McPherson Gives Cincinnati Breathing Room
The Bengals offense did not completely break the game open, but McPherson made sure Cincinnati kept putting points on the board.
He drilled a 58-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter before adding another from 32 yards later in the period.
Those kicks pushed Cincinnati’s lead to 33-20.
McPherson finished the afternoon a perfect four-for-four on field goals, including makes from 55 and 58 yards.
In a six-point victory, those kicks mattered.
Baker Makes One Final Push
Tampa Bay still wasn’t finished.
Mayfield scrambled nine yards for a touchdown with just over three minutes remaining, cutting the deficit to 33-27.
Suddenly the Buccaneers had life again.
But Cincinnati never gave them the football back.
Burrow connected with Tee Higgins for a huge 18-yard completion after Tampa Bay used a timeout, and the Bengals successfully drained the remaining clock.
After everything that happened, Cincinnati finally walked away with the win.
Cincinnati’s New Defense Makes an Immediate Statement
Burrow finished 25-of-35 for 254 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
It was a solid performance, but Cincinnati did not need its superstar quarterback to produce a monster statistical afternoon.
That is exactly what makes this victory encouraging.
The Bengals spent the offseason trying to fix a defense that had too often forced Burrow and the offense to win shootouts.
In Week 1, that defense forced four turnovers.
Knight scored a defensive touchdown. The pass rush repeatedly disrupted Mayfield. Cincinnati recovered four Tampa Bay fumbles.
For once, the defense was the reason the Bengals won.
Tampa Bay Beat Itself
The Buccaneers can look at this game and immediately identify what went wrong.
Four lost fumbles are almost impossible to overcome in the NFL.
Mayfield completed 23 of 28 passes for 216 yards and added a rushing touchdown. Irving produced 93 total yards and scored on the ground.
Tampa Bay still managed to score 27 points despite repeatedly handing Cincinnati the football.
But against a team as talented as the Bengals, you cannot make that many mistakes and expect to survive.
A Different Kind of Bengals Victory
Cincinnati has won plenty of games because Joe Burrow was brilliant.
This wasn’t one of them.
The Bengals won because their defense created chaos, their kicker delivered whenever his number was called and the offense did enough to capitalize.
That might actually be the most encouraging part of Cincinnati’s Week 1 victory.
If Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengals offense eventually reach their usual level while this rebuilt defense continues creating turnovers and pressure, Cincinnati becomes a much more complete football team.
Week 1 was only one game.
But after a 33-27 victory over Tampa Bay, the early returns from Cincinnati’s rebuilt defense look extremely promising.
Final: Cincinnati Bengals 33, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27.
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