Four lost fumbles sink Buccaneers as Bengals hold on for 33–27 win

Baker Mayfield had Tampa Bay back within six points. Joe Burrow made sure he never got another chance. Burrow’s 18-yard completion to Tee Higgins on second-and-10 helped Cincinnati run out the clock Sunday, closing a 33–27 victory built on four Buccaneers fumbles.

The Bengals converted those giveaways into 24 points. That was the difference on an afternoon when Tampa Bay kept finding routes back into a game it had nearly handed away before halftime.

Burrow finished 25 of 35 for 254 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Mayfield completed 23 of 28 for 216 yards, but three lost fumbles overwhelmed that efficiency. His 9-yard touchdown scramble with 3:19 remaining made the finish uncomfortable without changing the result.

The Bengals’ official clip shows Knight turning Tampa Bay’s first lost fumble into a touchdown.

Three possessions, three lost balls

Tampa Bay’s first drive produced a field goal and a 3–0 lead. Its next three possessions produced Cincinnati touchdowns.

Myles Murphy and Barrett Carter brought down Mayfield on the first turnover, and Demetrius Knight Jr. collected the loose ball for a 27-yard touchdown return. The Bengals did not need their offense to erase Tampa Bay’s opening advantage.

Bryan Cook then forced Bucky Irving to fumble, with Boye Mafe recovering at the Buccaneers’ 33. Burrow finished the resulting possession with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki.

The third giveaway hurt in a different way. Tampa Bay was threatening near the Cincinnati goal line when Carter stripped Mayfield on a scramble. Cook recovered in the end zone, and the Bengals turned the escape into an 80-yard touchdown drive. Chase Brown’s 5-yard run made it 21–3.

The Bengals’ original clip captures Brown finishing the touchdown drive that stretched Cincinnati’s lead.

Trotter gave Tampa Bay a way back

Irving’s 10-yard touchdown run helped the Buccaneers reach halftime trailing 24–10. Evan McPherson stretched the margin with a 55-yard field goal in the third quarter before Tampa Bay answered with a field goal and its biggest defensive play.

Rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter intercepted Burrow and returned the ball 38 yards for a touchdown. At 27–20, the Buccaneers had reduced an afternoon of damage to a one-score game. Trotter also recorded a sack, giving Tampa Bay pressure and points during its comeback attempt.

McPherson answered from 58 yards early in the fourth quarter. Another Mayfield fumble, forced by Mafe and recovered by Tedarrell Slaton, preceded McPherson’s fourth field goal, a 32-yarder that restored a 13-point lead.

Higgins supplied the closing play

Mayfield’s late rushing touchdown brought Tampa Bay close again, but the Bengals did not leave the result to another defensive stop. Burrow’s completion to Higgins moved the ball to the Buccaneers’ 26 and helped end the afternoon with Cincinnati in possession.

Gesicki led Cincinnati with five catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. Brown added 56 rushing yards and his score, while Higgins finished with 59 receiving yards. Tampa Bay got 93 combined rushing and receiving yards from Irving, but its productive stretches could not outweigh the possessions it surrendered.