Joe Burrow throws four TDs as Cincinnati Bengals rout Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-7 in Week 1

Cincinnati, OH - Joe Burrow opened Week 1 with a commanding passing performance, throwing four touchdowns as the Cincinnati Bengals steadily created separation in a 38-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Burrow completed 27 of 37 passes for 362 yards and finished with a 139.6 passer rating. Cincinnati generated 457 offensive yards, including 362 through the air, and reached the end zone five times between Burrow's four scoring passes and a rushing touchdown from Chase Brown.

Tee Higgins handled the largest share of Cincinnati's passing production, catching 11 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown. Ja'Marr Chase added six receptions for 90 yards and scored twice, while Samaje Perine caught two passes for 10 yards and a touchdown. Burrow's longest completion covered 53 yards.

"We stayed aggressive without feeling like we had to force everything," Burrow said. "There were a lot of different answers in the passing game, and the guys were consistently available. When Tee and Ja'Marr are producing like that, it puts us in a good place."

Cincinnati built an advantage and continued to widen it as the game progressed. The Bengals recorded 18 first downs and converted 11 of 15 third-down opportunities. Tampa Bay finished with 15 first downs and went 5-for-13 on third down, leaving a sharp statistical contrast between the offenses even though neither defense recorded an interception.

The Bengals also made four trips to the red zone, scoring touchdowns on three of them without a red-zone field goal. Tampa Bay reached the red zone once and scored a touchdown on that appearance. Cincinnati's production extended beyond those trips as its offense accumulated 183 more offensive yards than the Buccaneers.

"The ball kept coming my way, and my job was to give the offense something every time it did," Higgins said. "Joe was putting it in spots where we could finish catches and keep working. You look up and see 38 points, and that reflects a lot of guys being involved."

Brown supplied Cincinnati's rushing touchdown and finished with 50 yards on 18 carries. The Bengals totaled 95 rushing yards, complementing a passing game that accounted for most of their offensive production. Perine contributed 23 yards on seven attempts in addition to his touchdown reception.

Tampa Bay's offense never matched Cincinnati's scoring pace. Baker Mayfield completed 27 of 42 passes for 215 yards, one touchdown and an 84.9 passer rating. His longest completion went for 25 yards, and the Buccaneers finished with 274 offensive yards.

Chris Godwin Jr. was Mayfield's busiest target, catching 11 passes for 86 yards and Tampa Bay's only touchdown. Bucky Irving carried 11 times for 58 yards, accounting for all but one of the Buccaneers' 59 rushing yards. Tampa Bay converted one of its four fourth-down attempts.

"Seven points isn't close to what we expect from ourselves," Mayfield said. "We moved the ball in stretches, but we didn't finish enough possessions. When the score starts getting away from you, you still have to stay disciplined and keep executing, and we weren't consistent enough."

The defensive pressure was present on both sides without producing an interception. Cincinnati recorded three sacks, while Tampa Bay finished with two. The Bengals' larger offensive output and sustained scoring left the Buccaneers with little room to narrow the margin once the game had moved firmly in Cincinnati's direction.

For the Bengals, the opener offered an emphatic statistical baseline: 457 offensive yards, five touchdowns and a quarterback who completed nearly three-quarters of his passes. Cincinnati began Week 1 with a 38-7 victory, highlighted by Burrow's 362 yards and four touchdown passes.