Defense helps Cincy win
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CINCINNATI -- 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 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," Burrow said.
, 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.
Bucs' early fumbles play critical role
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.
Closing time
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's impressive debut
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.
Raiders 27, Dolphins 13
LAS VEGAS -- Kirk Cousins became the 15th quarterback to throw at least 300 touchdown passes in his career after tossing three on Sunday to lead the Las Vegas Raiders to a season-opening victory over the Miami Dolphins.
Two of his TD passes went to running back Ashton Jeanty, who also rushed for 102 yards and caught six passes for 45 more. This was the third career 100-yard game for Jeanty, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft who showed no ill effects of an ankle injury he suffered on Aug. 23.
Jaguars 34, Browns 10
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Trevor Lawrence threw for 245 yards and four touchdowns, opening the season much like he closed last year, and Jacksonville dominated rebuilding Cleveland to spoil the debut of new Browns coach Todd Monken.
The Jaguars scored on six of their first seven possessions, with Lawrence connecting with Parker Washington, rookie Josh Cameron, Brenton Strange and Jakobi Meyers for touchdowns. Three of four targets were wide open.
Ravens 41, Colts 23
INDIANAPOLIS -- Derrick Henry ran for three touchdowns to move into third on the NFL's career list, Lamar Jackson threw for 324 yards and a TD and rushed for a score, and Baltimore beat Indianapolis.
The Ravens improved to 13-6 in openers since 2008 and have topped the 20-point mark in their last 10, the league's longest active streak. Henry had 24 carries for 144 yards, his 56th 100-yard game and his eighth with three or more TD runs. Henry has 125 career rushing TDs, two more than Hall of Famer Marcus Allen.
Jets 23, Titans 10
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Breece Hall ran for 102 yards and a touchdown, Geno Smith threw for 215 yards in his Jets return and New York defeated Tennessee 23-10 in the season opener to spoil Titans coach Robert Saleh's debut against his former team.
The Jets never trailed, led 10-3 at halftime and held the ball for just over 38 minutes. Smith, drafted by New York in 2013 and acquired from Las Vegas in March, finished 19 of 24 while efficiently moving new coordinator Frank Reich's offense.
Bills 36, Texans 31
HOUSTON -- Josh Allen threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Palmer with 1:36 remaining to lift Buffalo to a win over Houston in a back-and-forth season opener.
Allen had 334 yards passing with two touchdowns and ran for two more scores to get his first win in Houston after losing his previous four games at Reliant Stadium.
The Texans led 31-30 when Allen split two defenders to find Palmer. The 2-point conversion failed.
Bears 59, Panthers 37
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Caleb Williams threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 65 yards and two more scores as Chicago defeated Carolina in the highest-scoring season opener in NFL history.
Chicago and Carolina scored eight more points than the previous record of 88 set in Tampa Bay's 48-40 win over New Orleans in 2018.
Coach Ben Johnson's prolific Bears also broke a franchise record for points in an opener, a mark that had stood since 1948, when Chicago hung 45 points on Green Bay at Wrigley Field. The 59 points were the most allowed by the Panthers in team history.
Lions 31, Saints 30 OT
DETROIT -- Tyler Shough threw an incomplete pass in the end zone on a 2-point conversion attempt, allowing Detroit Lions to escape with a win in overtime over New Orleans.
Saints coach Kellen Moore chose to go for the win instead of tying the game with 1:34 left in overtime after his team came back from a three-touchdown deficit in the third quarter and allowed a touchdown on the opening possession of the extra period.
Cardinals 26, Chargers 14
INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Jacoby Brissett threw for 277 yards and a touchdown and Arizona defeated Los Angeles, giving Mike LaFleur a victory in his head coaching debut over Jim Harbaugh.
Chad Ryland had four field goals as the Cardinals won on the road against the Chargers for the first time since 2001. He only miss was a 54-yarder when the ball hit the right upright in the second quarter.
Vikings 39, Packers 22
MINNEAPOLIS -- Carson Wentz came in after Kyler Murray's first-quarter concussion in his Minnesota debut and led a spirited comeback against the rival Green Bay as the Vikings scored 29 straight points to close a victory to open the season.
Wentz had two touchdown passes to Justin Jefferson, matching the two-time All-Pro's 2025 season total, and the pair connected on a 2-point converstion when the Vikings took their first lead at 25-22 with 6:37 remaining. Green Bay extended the drive three times with defensive penalties.
Eagles 24, Commanders 22
PHILADELPHIA -- Jalen Hurts threw for 203 yards and three touchdowns, and the Eagles' Moro Ojomo stuffed the Commanders' attempt at a tying 2-point conversion with 1:01 remaining as Philadelphia squeaked past Washington.
Jayden Daniels threw a 1-yard TD pass to on third-and-goal to Antonio Williams with 1:01 left for the Commanders' second touchdown of the fourth quarter. On the 2-point try, Washington called a shovel pass to tight end John Bates, who was wrapped up instantly by Ojomo.
Giants 28, Cowboys 20
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -- The John Harbaugh era began on a winning note for the New York Giants in their 28-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys Sunday night. The Giants' Jaxson Dart tossed three touchdown passes, two of which went to Isaiah Likely, who played for Harbaugh when he was in Batlimore. Dallas got two touchdown passes from Dak Prescott in the loss.