The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell in their season opener at the Cincinnati Bengals 33-27 on Sunday.

While the score might make one think this was a fun, back-and-forth contest that either team could have won, that was not the case.

Tampa spent most of the contest down by at least two scores and never really seemed like a threat to pull out what would have been a miraculous come-from-behind victory.

Sunday's loss was the first time the Bucs failed to start 1-0 in the Todd Bowles era. Turnovers doomed the Bucs against the Bengals. The team lost a total of four fumbles, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Another was lost as Tampa was driving for a potential touchdown that would have given the team new life down 14-3.

Despite the sloppy play and frustrating loss, there were some good performances, including a historic debut. Unfortunately, there was much more bad than good from the Bucs on Sunday.

Here are three winners and five losers from Tampa's season-opening loss at Cincinnati.

Josiah Trotter: Trotter didn't just have a great debut; he had a historic debut. The rookie linebacker became the first player in NFL history to record both a pick-six and a sack in his debut.

Tampa's second-round pick finished the afternoon with 11 total tackles, two for a loss, and even had a PBU.

Emeka Egbuka: The Bucs' 2025 first-round pick is being asked to fill Mike Evans' shoes in his sophomore season, not exactly an easy assignment. Egbuka looked like a star over the first few games of his rookie year before his play fell off a cliff as the season progressed.

On Sunday, Egbuka had five catches for 63 yards. It wasn't an eye-popping stat line, but it was a strong start for a wide receiver looking to move past his late-season struggles from a year ago.

Cornerbacks: If you had said the Bucs would hold Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, probably the NFL's best WR duo, to a total of five catches and 71 yards, anyone would think that meant a Tampa victory.

Zyon McCollum was sticky in coverage and had a pair of PBUs. Jacob Parrish was having a strong game until being knocked out with an injury. His replacement, Benjamin Morrison, also flashed the talent that made him a second-round pick last year. If he can stay healthy, which has been a problem, he may be the best of the bunch.

Baker Mayfield: Fresh off signing a huge extension, Mayfield had a terrible opener. His three lost fumbles, including one returned for a TD and one that prevented a Bucs TD, created a hole too steep to climb out of.

The Bucs will need much better play from their franchise QB if they want to make a return to the playoffs this season.

Offensive Line: While Mayfield needs to do a better job protecting the ball, his line didn't do him any favors. Tampa's offensive line is supposed to be one of the NFL's best, but they looked nothing like it on Sunday, giving up four sacks.

Even star left tackle Tristan Wirfs had a rough outing, giving up a strip-sack and being flagged for two false start penalties.

Rueben Bain Jr.: The first-round pick's debut was the most anticipated from a Bucs rookie in a long time. Bain didn't provide the fireworks many expected, only recording a single tackle and being thoroughly outshone by fellow rookie Trotter.

Alex Anzalone: While Trotter had a fantastic opener, Tampa's other new inside linebacker had a very forgettable one. Anzalone was brought in partly because of his coverage ability, which was a major weakness for linebackers Lavonte David and SirVocea Dennis in 2025.

Against the Bengals, Anzalone was regularly abused in coverage. Tight end Mike Gesicki had five catches for 78 yards and a score, helping to make up for the lack of production from Chase and Higgins. 

When he wasn't getting beat in coverage, Anzalone was struggling with missed tackles. Just an all-around disappointing performance from one of the most reliable LBs in the league.

YaYa Diaby: Diaby and Bain were supposed to form a fearsome pass-rushing duo. Like the rookie, Diaby only registered one tackle, which was for a loss. Otherwise, he wasn't able to make life miserable for Cincy QB Joe Burrow. 

The Bucs had a very depressing start to their season on Sunday. The team is much better than it showed against the Bengals and must show it sooner rather than later.

Until they do, the team's doubters will only get louder.

Luckily, Tampa will get a chance to rebound against the Cleveland Browns next Sunday in a game Mayfield has had circled on his calendar for months. The Browns were throttled by the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-10 on Sunday, and hopefully will provide an opportunity for the Bucs to get their first victory.