The Buccaneers and Browns are both walking into Week 2 looking for a reset, but only one of them can really call this a get-well spot.
Tampa Bay comes home after a 34-20 loss in Cincinnati that somehow felt even messier than the final score. The Bucs didn’t punt once and still lost, which is a brutal kind of efficiency.
Baker Mayfield finished 23-of-28 passing, but also put the ball on the ground three times. That leaves the familiar tug-of-war intact: there’s still a belief that paying him was the right move, but the ball security has to get cleaned up fast.
There was at least one bright spot on defense. Josiah Trotter, whose college question mark was pass coverage, answered with a pick-six, a sack and 10 tackles against Joe Burrow. If that’s the version of him the Bucs can keep getting, the coverage concerns can wait.
But the bigger issue was what happened late. Tampa Bay got within six points with 3:19 left and never saw the ball again.
Kicking deep made sense. The rest did not.
The missed tackles, the neutral-zone penalty on the deciding possession, and the lack of a stop left the defense with nowhere to hide. At this point, the conversation doesn’t need another explanation about Todd Bowles’ scheme.
It needs a stop.
The result still left the Bucs tied for first in the NFC South, which says as much about the division as anything else. Carolina scored 37 points and still lost by 22, even with Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd in the mix. That game also featured 291 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns allowed, which is one way to make a loss look especially ugly.
Atlanta had its own strange afternoon. Bijan Robinson piled up 173 yards from scrimmage, and the Falcons still managed only 13 points.
In New Orleans, Tyler Shough turned three turnovers into a wild comeback attempt, helping the Saints erase a 21-0 deficit and finish with 410 passing yards. They lost in overtime after going for two, and while the call drew approval, the bigger concern for Tampa Bay is that the Saints are on the schedule twice.
That brings us back to Cleveland, which heads to Tampa Bay after a 34-10 loss at Jacksonville. Somebody is getting a get-well game next, and the Browns better hope it isn’t them.
Around the league, there was no shortage of odd results. The Rams fell 27-7 to San Francisco.
Myles Garrett had no tackles and is headed for knee surgery and injured reserve, meaning he’ll miss at least four games. Minnesota lost Kyler Murray to a concussion and still beat Green Bay 39-22 behind three Carson Wentz touchdown passes, a reminder not to pencil in the Vikings as an easy Week 3 win for Tampa Bay.
Elsewhere, Jaxson Dart threw three touchdowns and the Giants converted nine of 10 third downs before the final kneel-down in a 28-20 win over Dallas in John Harbaugh’s debut. Geno Smith completed 19 of 24 passes for 215 yards in a 23-10 win in his first Jets start since 2016, a line that says plenty about how long that team took to circle back to the quarterback it already had.
In Other News...
Buccaneers May Have Found The Better Answer At Offensive Coordinator
Mike McDaniel was the name most closely linked to the Buccaneers offensive coordinator opening before he opted to join the Chargers, and that decision now looks a little different after one week of football. Tampa Bays offense under Zac Robinson showed real efficiency both through the air and on the ground, even with turnovers getting in the way, giving the Bucs reason to feel encouraged about the direction of the unit early on.
Meanwhile, the Chargers offense with McDaniel had a rougher opening against the Arizona Cardinals, which only sharpens the contrast between the two situations. It is far too early to draw any hard conclusions from one Sunday, but Tampa Bays first look under Robinson made the case that the better fit may already be in place, even if the offseason chase ended another way. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers' Cade Otton Decision Already Looks Tougher To Defend
Cade Ottons new contract was supposed to settle one of the quieter questions surrounding the Buccaneers offense, but his Week 1 showing made the discussion linger a little longer. After signing a three-year, $30 million extension, Otton finished Tampa Bays loss with three catches for 30 yards and had a notable drop, a start that did little to quiet scrutiny around how the Bucs are valuing him at tight end.
The comparison only gets sharper when Isaiah Likelys debut is in the mix. Likely, who signed a three-year, $40 million deal with the Giants, opened with eight receptions for 78 yards and two touchdowns, and Pro Football Focus also gave him a better run-blocking grade than Otton in 2025. For Tampa Bay, the issue is not just whether Otton can bounce back, but whether the extension already looks harder to justify than it did when it was signed. [Read more 🡒]
Todd Bowles Just Sent An Encouraging Message About Bucs Rookie WR
Ted Hursts first NFL game gave the Buccaneers something to look at beyond the final score. The rookie wide receiver was on the field for about 75% of the offensive snaps in the season opener against the Bengals, and he made the most of the opportunity with three catches for 36 yards. Todd Bowles came away pleased with what he saw, pointing to Hursts ability to create separation, work open when targeted and compete for contested throws.
There is still development ahead, as Bowles made clear, but the early usage suggests the Bucs are willing to trust Hurst quickly. For a young receiver trying to carve out a role, the combination of playing time and a solid debut matters, especially on a team that will keep looking for reliable options to complement its passing game. The question now is how much more the rookie can add as the season moves along. [Read more 🡒]