Four turnovers, three by Baker Mayfield, and the Bucs handed Cincinnati a game they had no business winning.
Rick Stroud and Steve Versnick break down a brutal season-opening 33-27 loss in which Baker Mayfield lost three fumbles for the first time in his career — including one stripped into the end zone for a touchback and another where he held the ball nearly five seconds before getting sacked and stripped, despite left tackle Tristan Wirfs blocking his man 11 yards deep in the backfield. Add in a lost fumble from Bucky Irving, and Tampa Bay finished with four turnovers in a game Joe Burrow himself admitted should have been a blowout. Rick explains why this fits an uncomfortable pattern in Baker's career, contrasts it with Tom Brady's turnover-averse style, and breaks down why the defense — outside of rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter's historic debut (10 tackles, a sack, and a 34-yard pick-six, the first player ever to record a sack and a pick-six in his first NFL game) — couldn't get off the field when it mattered, with Alex Anzalone struggling badly and the pass rush managing just two combined tackles from Rueben Bain Jr. and Yaya Diaby.
Rick and Steve also point to real bright spots — Chris Godwin's fresh legs, Emeka Egbuka's early looks before Cincinnati adjusted, and Ted Hurst's late-game flashes — and explain why "week one is a liar" before looking ahead to a desperate Browns team on Sunday. Then some much better news: the Rays clinched a playoff spot behind Junior Caminero's walk-off 40th home run, becoming the first team in MLB to punch its postseason ticket. Plus USF's wild last-second win over Army and the Ohio State-Texas classic.
In this episode:
- Baker Mayfield's three fumbles and the Bucs' four total turnovers in the 33-27 loss
- The Tristan Wirfs sack that shouldn't have happened, explained
- Josiah Trotter's historic debut: a sack and a pick-six in his first NFL game
- Why Alex Anzalone and the Bucs' pass rush struggled to make an impact
- "Week one is a liar": what to actually take from the loss
- Looking ahead to Sunday's game against the Browns
- Rays clinch a playoff spot on Junior Caminero's walk-off 40th homer
- USF's last-second win over Army and the Ohio State-Texas thriller
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