CINCINNATI (AP) Coach Zac Taylor and the Cincinnati Bengals talked all offseason about how their defensive acquisitions would have a huge impact.

They didn’t waste any time.

Cincinnati’s new-look defense forced four turnovers - including its first fumble recovery for a TD since 2022 - in a 33-27 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneerso on Sunday.

“You felt their presence, all of them today,” Taylor said after the Bengals won their opener for the second straight year. “It was fun to watch those guys get in the action and create all those turnovers.”

It was a win where all three phases contributed, something that could rarely be said about the Bengals over the past couple of seasons.

Cincinnati scored 24 points off Tampa Bay’s mistakes. Three were committed by quarterback Baker Mayfield, who signed a $165 million three-year extension earlier in the week.

Two fumbles came while he was sacked and another on a scramble when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were on the verge of scoring.

It is the first time Mayfield has lost an opener in his four seasons with Tampa Bay.

“They upgraded the personnel a lot. They were running on some twists and being consistent. Relentless effort, you know. Like the last one, it’s (me) holding on to the ball too long, but those guys are running around the edge, so it’s relentless effort bringing it,” said Mayfield, who was 23 of 28 passing for 216 yards and also ran for a score.

Joe Burrow passed for 254 yards and a touchdown. After a three-and-out on the opening series, the seventh-year franchise quarterback led the Bengals to points on six of their next seven drives. The only hiccup was a pick-6 by Tampa Bay rookie linebacker Jeremiah Trotter.

“If I didn’t have that interception, I’m feeling great walking out here. Can’t make plays like that, so I got to get that fixed,” said Burrow, who completed 25 of 35 passes.

And Evan McPherson had four field goals, including from 55 yards and 58 yards.

Edge rusher Boye Mafe and safety Bryan Cook, both signed in free agency, had big games. Both had forced fumbles and recoveries, and Mafe also had one of Cincinnati’s four sacks.

“It was the second gear that we had, but that was kind of like a statement. I do want to finish a little better as well, but to come out and win like that, it’s a beautiful thing,” Cook said.

Tampa Bay scored on its first possession when Chase McLaughlin made a 34-yard field goal, but the Buccaneers turned it over on their next three possessions. Cincinnati converted all three fumbles into touchdowns.

Mayfield rolled right when Myles Murphy and Barrett Carter sacked him at the Buccaneers 26. Demetrius Knight picked up the loose ball at the 27 and ran up the sideline for his first NFL touchdown.

It was the Bengals’ first scoop-and-score since Sam Hubbard’s 99-yard touchdown in a 2022 wild-card round game against Baltimore. It also marked the third time that the defense has supplied Cincinnati’s first touchdown of the season.

“Somebody swiped my leg, so I’m thinking, ‘Please don’t go down right here.’ Like they say, a lesser athlete would have fallen, but it was an amazing opportunity,” Knight said.

Burrow’s 2-yard TD pass to tight end Mike Gesicki came seven plays after Mafe recovered Bucky Irving’s fumble at the Bucs 33.

Cincinnati extended its lead to 21-3 midway through the second quarter on Chase Brown’s 5-yard run. The Bengals got the ball on their 20 after Cook recovered Mayfield’s fumble in the end zone after Carter stripped the ball out of Mayfield’s hands at the Bengals 4 as the nine-year veteran was trying to stretch for extra yards.

Mayfield’s 9-yard scramble TD pulled the Buccaneers within six with 3:19 remaining, but Cincinnati ran out the clock. Burrow’s 18-yard completion to Tee Higgins to the Bucs 26 on second-and-10 put it out of reach.

“We came out with more of an aggressive mindset. Credit to our guys for understanding how we wanted to run the clock there, while still getting maximum yardage,” Taylor said.

Trotter became the first player with a sack and pick-6 in his first game since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.

Both plays came in the third quarter. The second-round pick brought down Burrow for a 9-yard loss before jumping the route on a pass intended for Andrei Iosivas and ran it back 38 yards to get the Buccaneers within 27-20 with 2:16 remaining in the quarter.

“Good play on his part. It’s a play he blew from practice. He learned from it and made a play from there,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said.

McPherson had second-half field goals from 55 and 58 yards. He is the first kicker in Bengals history to have two from at least 55 yards in a game. It is the fourth time in league history this has happened in Week 1.

Buccaneers: CB Jacob Parrish tweaked his back during the second quarter and did not return. Bowles said Parrish will undergo an MRI.

Buccaneers: host Cleveland next Sunday.

Bengals: at Houston next Sunday.

---

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Copyright 2026 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.