3 Things We Learned About the Buccaneers in Week 1 Against the Bengals

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers started out their NFL season with a loss on Sunday, falling 33-27 to the Cincinnati Bengals on the road. It was the first Week 1 loss the Bucs have had under Todd Bowles as head coach and the first one overall since 2020.

The Bucs will now regroup and look to get their first win of the year against a Cleveland Browns team that lost rather definitively to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. It's just Week 1, so things can change and landscapes can evolve, but there were a few things to learn about this Bucs team after their first bit of 2026 NFL action.

Here are three things we learned about the Bucs in Week 1:

The Pass Rush Has a Long Way to Go

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Yaya Diaby (0) participates in training camp at AdventHealth Training Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tampa Bay's pass rush was one thing head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht were very excited about heading into 2026. They revamped the front seven, adding in edge rushers like Rueben Bain Jr. and Al-Quadin Muhammad and defensive linemen like A'Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches.

Not only did it not pay off, but things looked more of the same for Tampa Bay in the worst way. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was the least-pressured quarterback in Week 1, per Pro Football Focus, with just seven of his dropbacks facing pressure across the entire day.

Bain got washed out by Cincinnati more often than not, including by the team's tight ends. Orlando Brown Jr. got the best of Yaya Diaby, limiting him to just one tackle. The edge rushers and defensive line had no sacks, with the only sack coming from linebacker Josiah Trotter.

This is fairly concerning for Tampa Bay. And if this pass rush doesn't improve over the course of the year? Bowles' job could very likely be in danger.

Tampa Bay's Offense is Being Cautious to Start Out

Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson on the field before a game against the Los Angeles Rams | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were an efficient offense on Sunday, but they didn't seem very interested in moving the ball down the field much at all.

An astonishing 42.9% of quarterback Baker Mayfield's pass attempts were behind the line of scrimmage, per ESPN's Benjamin Solak. He had an average depth of target of 4.7 yards, and he averaged just 2.0 air yards per completion, per NFL Next Gen Stats.

Those are concerning numbers. It's unknown if offensive coordinator Zac Robinson intended for the offense to go this way or if Mayfield checked down at a higher rate than usual, but either way, the Bucs have to find a way to stretch the field better in coming games. Modern NFL offenses cannot afford to be as conservative as Tampa Bay's was, especially against a defense that will be one of the weaker ones the Bucs face all year.

Bucky Irving is On Track For a Big Year

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) scores a touchdown during the second quarter at Paycor Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There were plenty doubts about whether running back Bucky Irving would be able to bounce back in 2026 after a shoulder injury severely limited his 2025 campaign. It's early, but returns are looking good for Irving during his first game back in action,

Irving averaged 5.6 yards per carry on Monday on eight rushing attempts for 45 yards. He caught seven passes on the day for 48 yards, too, giving him 93 total yards of production — that accounted for about 33% of Tampa Bay's total yards on the day. The offense went through him on Sunday, and for the most part, he made it work.

The Bucs will probably hope his fellow running back, Kenny Gainwell, nets more than 18 all-purpose yards as he did against the Bengals in the future. But if Gainwell can get going, Irving is on pace to be the running back everyone remembered he was in 2024 throughout this whole season.

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