That was a sloppy opener. The Bucs lost four fumbles. The Bengals converted all of those mistakes into 24 points. Tampa Bay lost its opener to Cincinnati, 33-27.

Baker Mayfield – who just got that big contract extension last week – lost 3 of those fumbles. He’s holding the ball out there like a loaf of bread, for crying out loud. Bucky Irving lost the other fumble. Both of those guys had rushing touchdowns, but the hole was too big to dig out of.

What about the defense? Aside from a pick-6 from Josiah Trotter (who’s a good-looking rookie) it was another Todd Bowles special. Very little pressure on quarterback Joe Burrow. Missed tackles. Cincy was 8-of-14 on the third down. Reuben Bain? I hardly heard his name today.

Does all of this sound familiar? Of course it does.

Having said all of that, you cannot turn the ball over four times and expect to win. The Bucs made too many mistakes, and the Bengals made them pay.

I’m not panicking, yet. It’s far too early to do that.

On to the home opener against Cleveland.

Photo courtesy: Tampa Bay Buccaneers