The dust has settled on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Week 1 loss, and the season opener provided some insight on what this year’s Bucs team could look like.
There were certainly some positives to take away despite the frustrating loss, particularly from a few position groups that entered the season with plenty of questions. At the same time, Week 1 exposed some real concerns that could follow Tampa Bay throughout the season.
With plenty to dissect from the Buccaneers’ season opener, here’s what opening day taught us about the 2026 team.
Biggest takeaways from Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Week 1 loss
The cornerback room is better than anticipated
Entering Week 1, the biggest concern was how Tampa Bay's cornerbacks would fare against Cincinatti's wide receivers.
Zyon McCollum was inconsistent in 2025, and Jacob Parrish is converting into a full-time outside cornerback after playing nickel last season.
The duo played incredible, as did Benjamin Morrison who replaced Parrish when he left the game with a back injury.
The Bucs collectively held Ja'Marr Chase to two catches for 12 yards and Tee Higgins to three catches for 59 yards. The group was one of the biggest bright spots of the season opener.
The inside linebacker spot could continue to be an issue
Tampa Bay's inside linebackers were a liability the past two seasons. Lavonte David started to lose a step, and SirVocea Dennis was one of the NFL's worst coverage linebackers.
The Buccaneers brought in two new starters in veteran Alex Anzalone and rookie Josiah Trotter. Trotter was the best player on defense in his debut, making NFL history with a sack and a pick-six. But for as good as Trotter played, Anzalone played just as bad.
He missed tackles, blew coverages, and couldn't stay off the ground. He was comfortably the team's worst player on Sunday, which is a worrying sign coming from a team captain who wears the green dot and plays 100% of the snaps. Anzalone turns 32 this month, and if he continues to regress and show his age, the Bucs could again be in serious trouble at the linebacker spot.
The Buccaneers showed some serious fight
Despite four turnovers from the offense, the Buccaneers didn't get demoralized and continued to put up a fight for four quarters against a quality Bengals team.
They fought until the very end, losing by just six points despite Mayfield and the offense doing everything they could to hand the game away.
This is a good Bucs team, and they have no quit in them. If the offense can do a better job protecting the football, this will be a tough team to beat.
Zac Robinson looks like a good hire at offensive coordinator
Zac Robinson had a promising debut calling the plays. He heavily utilized pre-snap motion and play-action passes, something Josh Grizzard didn't do nearly enough last year.
Mayfield was set up to succeed with high-percentage passes, and he completed 82% of his attempts. The run game was efficient, with Bucky Irving rushing for nearly six yards per carry.
They lost because of turnovers, which is out of Robinson's control. But the process was sound, and this offense already looks like an improvement over last year's unit.
The WR room will be okay without Mike Evans
Emeka Egbuka had five catches for 63 yards and Chris Godwin had four catches for 40 yards. Both players made plays with the ball in their hands and contributed to an efficient passing game.
Ted Hurst wasn't utilized until later in the game, but had three consecutive receptions for 36 yards.
One of the team's key pass catchers, Jalen McMillan, missed the game due to injury, so this wasn't even the Bucs receiving corps at full strength.
Losing Mike Evans hurts, especially after his impressive 49ers debut, but the Buccaneers are in good hands with a talented group of wide receivers that could help this offense become one of the league's most productive and highest-scoring units.
Special teams unit is much improved
The Buccaneers were one of the NFL's worst teams in kickoff coverage last year, but that changed in Week 1.
Tampa Bay held Cincinnati to just 23.7 yards per return, while the Buccaneers recorded 29.4 yards per return.
Special teams is an underrated aspect of the game, but the Buccaneers struggled mightily in that phase last season, and if they continue to show improvement, it'll eventually bare results in the win column.
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