Burrow, Gesicki Sink Tampa Bay as Cincinnati Holds On 33-27

Cincinnati beat Tampa Bay 33-27 on Sunday, handing the Buccaneers a loss despite Baker Mayfield completing 23 of 28 passes — an efficiency number that would win most games. The difference came down to Cincinnati finding ways to score that Tampa Bay simply couldn't match.

Start with the uncomfortable truth for Tampa Bay: Mayfield was sharp. A 23/28 completion rate with 216 yards and a rushing touchdown is a respectable day's work, and Bucky Irving added 45 yards on the ground with a score of his own while hauling in 7 catches for 48 yards. Emeka Egbuka contributed 5 receptions for 63 yards. On paper, this offense did enough. The problem is that 27 points wasn't enough, and that falls on a defense that had no answer for what Cincinnati was doing.

Joe Burrow finished 25 of 35 for 254 yards and a touchdown, and the story of this game appears to be how Cincinnati distributed the ball to create problems at multiple levels. Mike Gesicki was the standout — 5 catches, 78 yards, and a touchdown from a tight end is the kind of mismatch that looks, in hindsight, like it defined the afternoon. Chase Brown grinded out 16 carries for 56 yards and added a rushing score, giving Cincinnati a reliable ground presence that kept Tampa Bay's defense honest. When Burrow had room to work, he found Gesicki. When Cincinnati needed yards, Brown was there. That combination proved to be the margin.

What makes this result sting for Tampa Bay is how close the efficiency numbers actually were. Mayfield's completion percentage was higher than Burrow's. Irving was active as both a runner and receiver. This wasn't a blowout — it was a six-point game — and that's precisely why the Buccaneers will feel this one. Cincinnati's ability to generate touchdowns through multiple contributors, while Tampa Bay's passing game produced zero aerial scores, looks like the decisive gap. Mayfield had to carry the ball himself for Tampa Bay's lone passing-game touchdown contribution, which says something about where the red-zone execution broke down. Cincinnati opens the 2026 season with a win. Tampa Bay heads home with a loss that, on the surface, looks avoidable.