The Tampa Bay Buccaneers don’t need a reminder that Week 1 got away from them. They need a reset. After a loss packed with self-inflicted mistakes, Tampa Bay heads into its home opener at Raymond James Stadium looking to clean things up against a Cleveland Browns team that just took a 34-10 beating from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
On paper, this is the kind of matchup that should help the Buccaneers get their first “W” of the year. But the opponent only matters so much when the bigger issue is the one in the mirror. If Tampa Bay wants to avoid another frustrating afternoon, there are three problem areas that have to improve fast.
The first and most obvious one is the turnover mess. It’s tough to beat anybody when you give the ball away four times on offense, and Baker Mayfield was at the center of it with three lost fumbles.
That can’t become a habit for the franchise quarterback, who has to protect the football and stop handing out extra possessions and points. Still, there’s reason to think Week 1 was an outlier.
Mayfield had never fumbled three times during his time with the Buccaneers, and that kind of collapse is unlikely to repeat if he settles down and plays smarter, safer football.
Then there was Alex Anzalone, who had a rough day on defense and seemed to be slipping all over the field. Every time the ball found its way near him, the camera seemed to catch him on the ground.
He missed tackles, struggled in coverage and even gave up a touchdown. Yet despite that tough outing, he was the only defender to play every snap.
That role isn’t going away anytime soon, either. Anzalone wears the green dot and handles the defensive calls, which means the Bucs need much more from him.
The equipment staff may want to help too, because Tampa Bay can’t afford another game where he spends more time on the turf than making plays.
The final issue is the pass rush, which was supposed to be one of the team’s selling points all offseason. Instead, it disappeared in Week 1.
PFF had Joe Burrow as the NFL’s least pressured quarterback during opening weekend, and the Buccaneers managed pressure on just 19% of his pass attempts. He was sacked once, and that came on a blitz from inside linebacker Josiah Trotter.
With Vita Vea, Calijah Kancey, Yaya Diaby and Rueben Bain Jr. in the mix, there’s no excuse for that front to be this quiet. Todd Bowles’ defense is built around making quarterbacks uncomfortable, and Tampa Bay will need that unit to show up if it wants to meet expectations in 2026.
In Other News...
Bucs Loss Took On New Meaning After What Happened To Joe Burrow
The Buccaneers walked off the field in Week 1 with a loss to Cincinnati, but the game took on a different tone once Joe Burrows postgame soreness became part of the conversation. Burrow guided the Bengals to a 33-27 win over Tampa Bay, throwing for 254 yards and a touchdown while also taking off for 20 yards, even as he absorbed two significant hits along the way.
For Tampa Bay, the result now sits beside the bigger question of Burrows condition after back tightness and shoulder discomfort showed up in practice later in the week. Burrow has said he expects to play against Houston in Week 2, which only sharpens the sense that the Bucs were part of a hard-fought opener that may have left a lasting mark beyond the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Evans Already Got What He Was Missing In Tampa
After 12 seasons in Tampa Bay, Mike Evans has quickly found the kind of role he was looking for with the San Francisco 49ers. In his first game with his new team, he was targeted often on third downs, caught six passes for 49 yards and a touchdown, and immediately looked like a player the offense intended to lean on rather than fit in around.
For Evans, the move was about chasing another Super Bowl while staying central to the game plan, and early signs suggest the 49ers are willing to make that happen. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has already praised the way Evans has fit and pointed to an offense built to play to his strengths, which makes the next stretch worth watching for anyone who followed his long run in Tampa. [Read more 🡒]
Baker Mayfield Just Gave The Bucs An Early Problem They Feared
The Buccaneers left Week 1 with a familiar kind of frustration: a competitive offense, a chance to win, and too many giveaways to survive. Tampa Bay fell 33-27 to the Bengals, undone by four fumbles in all, three of them coming from Baker Mayfield in a game where the Bucs still managed to move the ball without star wide receiver Mike Evans.
Todd Bowles didnt hide from the obvious issue afterward, making it clear the quarterback has to take better care of the football. Even so, the coach also pointed to the way the offense functioned and sounded encouraged by what it could become, which is why the turnovers sting so much more than a typical opener. The Bucs can live with a few early-season growing pains, but they know the margin for error gets thin fast when the ball keeps hitting the turf. [Read more 🡒]