Joe Burrow wasted little time looking like himself again in the Bengals’ 2026 opener, and Cincinnati’s offense had Tampa Bay on its heels from the start. The Bengals built long, efficient drives all afternoon, and by halftime they had already opened up a 14-point lead.
Still, one play late in the second quarter could bring a postgame bill from the NFL.
On a 10-play, 70-yard march that ended with a Cincinnati field goal, Burrow tucked the ball and ran up the middle for 12 yards. As he was heading down, Buccaneers safety Tykee Smith delivered a hit that drew a flag for unnecessary roughness.
The penalty did not affect the result of the drive, since the Bengals had already put points on the board. But the league is now reviewing the play separately, and Smith could face discipline.
Under NFL guidelines, a late hit on a quarterback can lead to an $11,941 fine for a first offense. If the league decides Smith used his helmet in an impermissible way on the play, the fine could rise by as much as $23,882.
That review process happens every week as the league examines game film for possible punishment, regardless of whether officials flagged the play in real time.
Burrow’s return was his first season opener since he missed nine games last year with a turf toe injury, and he finished the day in strong form as Cincinnati beat Tampa Bay. Smith and the Buccaneers now wait to see whether the league adds anything more to the penalty already handed down on the field.
In Other News...
Bucs Opener Raised One Ugly Question Fans Cant Ignore
The season opener in Cincinnati did not just leave the Buccaneers with a loss, it left them with a familiar problem they cannot afford to carry much longer. Tampa Bay fell 33-27 to the Bengals at Paycor Stadium after three first-half takeaways tilted the game early, and the turnover issues were impossible to ignore as Baker Mayfield and the offense kept putting the ball on the ground while trying to settle in.
What made the night sting even more was the way Cincinnatis revamped defense kept coming. The Bengals mixed consistent pressure with a defensive touchdown from linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr., turning Tampa Bays mistakes into quick momentum swings and forcing the Bucs to spend the rest of the game chasing points. For a team that wants to contend, the bigger concern after Week 1 is not simply the result, but whether this kind of sloppiness is a one-night mess or a warning sign. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Opener Exposed A Turnover Problem Tampa Bay Still Has
Tampa Bay got the kind of season opener that can make a team look better and worse at the same time. The Buccaneers jumped out early against Cincinnati and had bright spots from Bucky Irving and the defense, with Josiah Trotter finding the end zone, but the game kept turning on the Bucs own mistakes. Baker Mayfields turnovers helped drag Tampa Bay into a long chase, and by the time the offense settled in, the Bengals had already taken control.
For a team that entered the year hoping to build on its strengths, the sloppiness was hard to ignore. Cincinnati did its part, too, with Evan McPherson drilling long field goals that kept pressure on Tampa Bay, but the bigger issue for the Bucs was self-inflicted. They had enough good moments to show the pieces are there, yet the opener also made clear that protecting the ball is going to decide whether those pieces add up to something more. [Read more 🡒]
Zyon McCollum Just Put Tampa Bays Corners On The Spot
Zyon McCollum walked into Week 1 sounding like a cornerback who wants the first test to arrive fast. The Buccaneers are heading into their opener against Cincinnati with a defense that knows it has something to prove, especially after a shaky year on the back end, and McCollum made clear that Tampa Bay expects to bring a confident, aggressive edge against a Bengals passing game built around a dangerous receiver duo.
For McCollum and the rest of the cornerback room, the spotlight is unavoidable. The Bucs do not just need a clean start on defense, they need signs that this group can steady the secondary and answer the questions that have followed it into the season. If Tampa Bay is going to set the tone early, this is the unit that will likely have to show it first. [Read more 🡒]