Joe Burrow Assesses Bengals’ Win vs. Buccaneers: “Big-Time Players Making Big-Time Plays”
The Cincinnati Bengals opened the 2026 NFL season with an impressive 33–27 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, giving quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals plenty to feel positive about heading into Week 2.
After the game, Burrow summed up Cincinnati’s performance with a simple message: “Big-time players making big-time plays in big-time spots.” He praised the overall team effort while making it clear that the Bengals still have plenty to improve.
Burrow delivers a strong performance
Burrow completed 25 of 35 passes for 254 yards and a touchdown, while throwing one interception. He connected with nine different receivers, showing the versatility Cincinnati can have offensively.
Mike Gesicki was particularly effective, finishing with five receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown. Burrow also found Tee Higgins for a 29-yard completion during the game.
The Bengals quarterback was happy with much of his performance but wasn’t satisfied with the interception.
“If I didn’t have that interception, I’m feeling great walking out of here.”
Burrow acknowledged that turnovers cannot become a recurring problem if Cincinnati wants to compete at the highest level.
Cincinnati’s defense makes the difference
Perhaps the biggest story from the victory was Cincinnati’s revamped defense. The Bengals forced four Buccaneers turnovers, including multiple fumbles, and repeatedly created difficult situations for Baker Mayfield.
The Bengals also received major contributions from new defensive pieces, including Jonathan Allen, who recorded his first sack as a Bengal, and Boye Mafe, who recovered a fumble.
That defensive improvement could be crucial for Cincinnati. In previous seasons, the Bengals’ inability to consistently stop opponents has put enormous pressure on Burrow and the offense.
Chase doesn’t need to dominate for Cincinnati to win
One intriguing aspect of the victory was the relatively quiet statistical day for Ja’Marr Chase.
Chase finished with only two receptions for 12 yards, yet Cincinnati still managed to score 33 points and win the game.
That could ultimately be encouraging.
If Burrow can distribute the ball effectively among Higgins, Gesicki, Chase and the rest of the receiving group, Cincinnati becomes much harder to defend. The Bengals demonstrated that they don’t necessarily need one receiver to carry the offense every week.
A promising start, but Burrow knows there’s work to do
The Bengals’ victory was important, particularly after missing the playoffs in each of the previous three seasons. Burrow also missed significant time last season after playing only eight games
But he isn’t treating one victory as proof that Cincinnati has arrived.
The Bengals quarterback emphasized that nobody inside the locker room should be satisfied after only one game. There are still many weeks ahead, and Cincinnati will need to maintain its execution on both sides of the ball.
For now, though, the opening-day formula looked promising: Burrow distributing the football, the offensive line protecting him, the running game producing when needed, and the defense creating turnovers.
And that is exactly what Burrow meant by “big-time players making big-time plays.”
The Bengals will hope Sunday’s victory is the beginning of something much bigger in 2026.
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