11 winners and 2 losers from the Bengals’ fun win over the Buccaneers

Key Points:

• The Cincinnati Bengals won their Week 1 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33-27, marking their first home opener win in the Zac Taylor era and ending a three-season playoff drought.
• Key contributors included Mike Gesicki, who caught five passes for 78 yards and a touchdown, and rookies Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter, who made significant defensive plays including a touchdown by Knight.
• The Bengals' offensive line showed marked improvement, allowing only one sack on Joe Burrow, who benefited from increased under-center snaps; running back Chase Brown also had a strong performance with 56 rushing yards and a touchdown.
• Special teams were a strength, with kicker Evan McPherson making four field goals including two from over 50 yards, and Boye Mafe making game-changing defensive plays that led to 10 points.
• Areas of concern included the defensive line's repeated neutral zone penalties and a disappointing performance from star receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who recorded just two catches for 12 yards.