The Buccaneers walked out of Week 1 with a loss, but the opener still revealed a lot about what Tampa Bay may be this season. The game had its ugly moments - four offensive turnovers will do that - yet it also gave the Bucs real reasons to feel better about a few spots that looked shaky going into the year.
The clearest surprise came in the secondary. Tampa Bay’s cornerback group was one of the biggest question marks heading into the matchup with Cincinnati, especially with Zyon McCollum coming off an inconsistent 2025 and Jacob Parrish moving from nickel to full-time outside corner.
Instead of getting exposed, the group held up well. Parrish was strong before leaving with a back injury, Benjamin Morrison stepped in and did his part, and the Bucs kept Ja’Marr Chase to two catches for 12 yards while Tee Higgins finished with three grabs for 59 yards.
That kind of performance mattered because the middle of the defense was a much messier story. Tampa Bay has spent the past two seasons trying to patch over problems at inside linebacker, and Week 1 showed both the promise and the risk in the new setup.
Rookie Josiah Trotter was outstanding in his debut, making NFL history with a sack and a pick-six. Veteran Alex Anzalone, though, had a rough afternoon.
He missed tackles, busted coverages, and spent too much time on the ground. For a player wearing the green dot and playing every snap, that’s a serious concern, especially with Anzalone turning 32 this month.
Even with the mistakes, the Bucs never folded. They absorbed the turnovers, stayed in the fight and pushed a quality Bengals team all the way to the end before losing by six points.
That resilience stood out. This wasn’t a team that drifted out of the game when things went sideways.
If the offense can clean up the giveaways, Tampa Bay looks like a group that will be tough to put away.
Offensively, Zac Robinson’s first game as coordinator pointed in the right direction. The Bucs leaned into pre-snap motion and play-action, two things that were underused a year ago, and the design clearly helped Baker Mayfield settle in.
He completed 82% of his passes, while Bucky Irving added an efficient ground game by running for nearly six yards per carry. The turnovers wrecked the final result, but that part wasn’t on Robinson.
The structure of the offense looked sharp, and it already seems like a step forward.
The receiver room also held up without Mike Evans. Emeka Egbuka caught five passes for 63 yards, Chris Godwin added four catches for 40 yards, and both made things happen after the catch.
Ted Hurst didn’t get involved until later, but once he did, he put together three straight receptions for 36 yards. Jalen McMillan was out with an injury, so this wasn’t even Tampa Bay’s full group.
Evans’ absence still stings, especially after his impressive 49ers debut, but the Bucs still look equipped to keep the passing game moving.
There was another quiet win buried in the special teams numbers. Tampa Bay was one of the league’s worst kickoff coverage teams last season, but Week 1 looked much cleaner. Cincinnati averaged just 23.7 yards per return, while the Buccaneers averaged 29.4 yards per return.
In Other News...
Bucs Pass Rush Concern Just Got More Real With Rueben Bain Jr
Rueben Bain Jr. arrived with plenty of buzz in the preseason, and the Buccaneers had reason to believe the rookie could add some needed juice to a pass rush that has been searching for answers. But his first NFL game offered little immediate payoff, as Bain finished the Week 1 loss to the Bengals without a sack or pressure and with only one tackle, a quiet debut for a player Tampa Bay hoped could help change the feel of its front.
The bigger issue is that Bain is still adjusting to a new position, which adds another layer to a pass rush problem the Buccaneers could not solve against Cincinnati. One game is hardly the end of the story, but it does sharpen the question Tampa Bay brought into the season: how quickly can a young edge player make the leap from promising preseason name to someone who actually alters what opposing quarterbacks see on Sundays? [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers' Cade Otton Decision Already Looks Tougher To Defend
Cade Ottons first game after landing his three-year, $30 million extension did not give the Buccaneers much reason to feel better about the investment. In Tampa Bays Week 1 loss, the tight end managed three catches for 30 yards and also had a notable drop, a rough opening act for a player expected to be a steady part of the offense.
The contrast only looks sharper when stacked against Isaiah Likely, whose own three-year, $40 million deal with the Giants was followed by a much louder debut. Likely turned in eight receptions for 78 yards and two touchdowns, and he also drew a better run-blocking grade than Otton in 2025 from Pro Football Focus, making Tampa Bays decision at the position look more complicated than it did just a week ago. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers May Have Found The Better Answer At Offensive Coordinator
Mike McDaniel was the name most closely tied to the Buccaneers offensive coordinator opening before he took the Los Angeles Chargers job, and opening week offered an early way to compare the two directions. Tampa Bays offense under Zac Robinson looked efficient both through the air and on the ground, even with turnovers muddying the final picture, while the Bucs still came away looking like a unit with structure and rhythm.
McDaniel, meanwhile, inherited a Chargers offense that struggled to get much going against the Arizona Cardinals. One week is hardly a full verdict on any coordinator decision, but for the Buccaneers, the first glimpse under Robinson made the choice look at least as defensible as the one that got away. In a league where offensive identity can take shape quickly, Tampa Bays start suggested it may have landed on the cleaner fit. [Read more 🡒]