CINCINNATI (Interstat) — Joe Burrow passed for 254 yards and a touchdown, Evan McPherson kicked four field goals and the Cincinnati Bengals held off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33-27 on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, at Paycor Stadium. A crowd of 66,625 watched Cincinnati improve to 1-0. Tampa Bay fell to 0-1. Burrow completed 25 of 35 passes, ran five times for 20 yards and threw an interception. Baker Mayfield completed 23 of 28 passes for 216 yards, ran five times for 30 yards and scored on a 9-yard scramble. The Bengals led for most of the afternoon, but Tampa Bay stayed within reach until the final minutes.

McLaughlin gave Tampa Bay an early lead with a 34-yard field goal. Cincinnati answered after a sack of Mayfield at the Tampa Bay 25, then moved ahead on Burrow’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki. McPherson added the extra point. In the second quarter, Chase Brown scored on a 5-yard run, pushing Cincinnati’s lead to 21-3. Tampa Bay responded when Bucky Irving ran left end for a 10-yard touchdown. McLaughlin’s extra point cut the deficit. McPherson closed the first-half scoring with a 20-yard field goal, sending Cincinnati into halftime ahead 24-10.

The Bengals extended their lead in the third quarter when McPherson connected from 55 yards. McLaughlin answered with a 51-yard field goal for Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers then got a jolt from their defense when Josiah Trotter intercepted Burrow and returned it for a touchdown. The pick-six came with 2:16 left in the third quarter, and it gave Tampa Bay momentum heading into the fourth. That play pulled Tampa Bay to 27-20. Trotter finished with 11 tackles, one sack and one interception. Cincinnati steadied itself in the fourth quarter as McPherson made field goals of 58 and 32 yards. Mayfield’s 9-yard touchdown scramble and McLaughlin’s extra point made it 33-27, but Cincinnati kept Tampa Bay from completing the comeback.

Burrow was Cincinnati’s top star, going 25 of 35 for 254 yards and one touchdown while adding 20 rushing yards on five attempts. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Burrow, an Athens, Ohio, native, spread the ball to several receivers. Gesicki caught five passes for 78 yards and a touchdown. Tee Higgins had three receptions for 59 yards. Chase Brown ran 16 times for 56 yards, caught five passes for 22 yards and scored once. Samaje Perine added five carries for 20 yards, three receptions for 30 yards and two tackles. Dohnte Meyers contributed one run for 10 yards, one reception for 18 yards and four kickoff returns for 93 yards. Drew Sample caught three passes for 19 yards. Ja’Marr Chase and Andrei Iosivas each had two receptions for 12 yards, while Tanner Hudson caught one pass for 4 yards.

Cincinnati’s defense got nine tackles from Jordan Battle, eight tackles and a half-sack from Barrett Carter, seven tackles from Demetrius Knight Jr., seven from Dax Hill and six from Bryan Cook. Jalen Davis added five tackles. Boye Mafe recorded a sack. T.J. Slaton Jr. added one tackle for Cincinnati. Ryan Rehkow punted once for 51 yards. The Bengals also limited Tampa Bay’s passing game enough to protect their lead, though Mayfield was efficient for much of the game.

Mayfield led Tampa Bay’s offense by completing 23 of 28 passes for 216 yards and rushing five times for 30 yards and a touchdown. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Mayfield, an Austin, Texas, native, kept Tampa Bay in the game with efficient throws and timely scrambles. Bucky Irving was a dual threat with eight carries for 45 yards and seven receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown. Kenny Gainwell ran five times for 15 yards, caught one pass for 3 yards and returned one kickoff for 22 yards. Chris Godwin Jr. had four receptions for 40 yards and one run for 3 yards. Emeka Egbuka caught five passes for 63 yards. Ted Hurst III added three receptions for 36 yards, and Cade Otton had three receptions for 26 yards. Kameron Johnson returned five kickoffs for 137 yards. Josh Williams had a 47-yard kickoff return. Tez Johnson returned one punt for 13 yards.

Tampa Bay’s defense was led by Trotter’s 11 tackles, sack, interception and touchdown. Zyon McCollum and Antoine Winfield Jr. each made nine tackles. Alex Anzalone had seven tackles, A’Shawn Robinson had five, and Tykee Smith and Benjamin Morrison each had four. Kevin Knowles, Jacob Parrish and Anthony Nelson each made two tackles. Al-Quadin Muhammad, SirVocea Dennis, Yaya Diaby, Rueben Bain Jr., Bauer Sharp, David Walker and Rakeem Nunez-Roches each had one tackle. Chase McLaughlin made both of his field goals, from 34 and 51 yards, and added extra points. Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey did not record a tackle.

Cincinnati’s win came in the NFL season opener for both teams. Tampa Bay will host Cleveland on Sept. 20, then Minnesota on Sept. 27, Green Bay on Oct. 4, and travel to Dallas on Oct. 8. The Buccaneers will host Pittsburgh on Oct. 18, visit Carolina on Oct. 25, host Atlanta on Nov. 1, visit Chicago on Nov. 8, visit Detroit on Nov. 22 and host Carolina on Nov. 30. Cincinnati will visit Houston on Sept. 20, visit Pittsburgh on Sept. 27, host Jacksonville on Oct. 4, visit Miami on Oct. 11 and visit Baltimore on Oct. 25. The Bengals will host Tennessee on Nov. 1, visit Atlanta on Nov. 8, host Pittsburgh on Nov. 15, visit Washington on Nov. 23 and host New Orleans on Nov. 29. Interstat’s game simulator projected Cincinnati 31, Tampa Bay 21. Interstat’s ELO system gave Cincinnati a 67.4 percent probability to win. Tampa Bay was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +3.5. The total of 60 went under the over/under line of 50.5.