Todd Bowles didn’t sound like a coach ready to sound the alarm after the Bucs’ 33-27 loss in Cincinnati. He sounded like a coach who saw enough offense to believe there’s something to work with - as long as the turnovers stop wrecking everything around it.
That’s the tension hanging over Tampa Bay after Week 1. Baker Mayfield was sharp through the air, completing 23 of 28 passes, but three fumbles became the story of the day and the main reason the Bucs walked out with a loss. Bowles made it clear Monday that the quarterback’s ball security has to tighten up fast.
“Well, he knows he’s got to take care of the football, and we don’t want the turnovers,” Bowles said. “He doesn’t want them either.
We’ve got to get better at that and understand there are times you just have to get down - understanding the play call and knowing when you’ve got the first down, knowing when the game’s on the line, and knowing when it’s not. So, obviously we don’t like the turnovers, and he’ll be better this week.”
The coach’s point was simple: the Bucs moved the ball, put up 27 points, and flashed enough to avoid a total offensive panic. Bowles said it’s too early to draw a full conclusion about offensive coordinator Zac Robinson’s play-calling after one game, especially with the turnovers muddying the picture.
“I don’t think there’s an evaluation of one game,” Bowles said of Robinson and the offense’s performance. “We turned the ball over quite a bit, so you really can’t tell.
We moved the ball some. [There are] some plays everybody likes to have back as a coordinator, but he’s effective in the things that we’re doing, and I like where he’s at right now.”
There were other reasons for optimism, too. Mayfield’s 82.1% completion rate looked a lot more like the version Tampa Bay saw during his career year in 2024 than the quarterback who struggled to find a rhythm late last season. And Bucky Irving, after a sophomore slump, looked much closer to the dynamic runner the Bucs expected when they put the ball in his hands.
Irving finished with only eight carries because of the early deficit, but he still averaged 5.6 yards per rush and scored a touchdown. He added another layer to the offense as a receiver, leading the team with seven catches for 48 yards. His 93 scrimmage yards stood out in a game where Tampa Bay needed clean, productive snaps more than anything else.
Bowles liked what he saw, but he also wants Irving to be smarter with the ball in the same way he wants Mayfield to be.
“He was very sharp running the football-wise,” Bowles said. “Obviously, you’ve got to protect [the ball] better and understand…You know, he has some of that with Baker [Mayfield]. He understands his power is of the Hulk, but his size is probably of Ant-Man, so he’s got to understand when and when not to take on certain things in certain situations as well - at least put two hands on the ball - and he understands that.”
Emeka Egbuka was another encouraging piece in the passing game. He caught five passes for 63 yards, his second-highest receiving total in a game since Week 11 of last season, even though he had missed significant training camp time with a toe sprain.
“I mean, it’s good,” Bowles said. “He’s still working his way back.
He’s missed a lot of time, but obviously coming in and being effective early kind of helped him out going forward. As we get in better shape, going down the line for the guys that haven’t practiced too much, I think we’ll be a lot better going forward.”
For all the positives, the message from Bowles came back to the same point: the offense can’t keep giving the game away. Tampa Bay scored 27 and still lost because the ball came loose too many times, and that’s the part Mayfield has to clean up first.
“Baker is a very smart guy. He understands that he has to play better and take care of the football. That comes first, and then we’ll worry about the opponent.”
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