Four turnovers are the easy explanation for Tampa Bay's 33-27 loss to the Bengals on Sunday, and Todd Bowles did not try to dodge them. But in his postgame remarks at Paycor Stadium, the Buccaneers head coach made clear the giveaways were only part of what went wrong in the season opener.

“Obviously you can't turn the ball over,” Bowles told reporters after the game. “We had four turnovers, we lose by about one touchdown, but it wasn't just that. We had some penalties and some false starts there.”

Then came the part that stung. “Defensively, I'd be interested to know how many tackles we missed,” Bowles said. “We missed some chip shot tackles to get the ball back at the end and give our offense a chance.”

The tackling issue showed up all afternoon. Cincinnati repeatedly attacked the middle and underneath areas of Tampa Bay's zone coverage, with tight end Mike Gesicki finishing with five catches for 78 yards and a touchdown while Drew Sample added three grabs. The Bucs also struggled to consistently pressure Joe Burrow despite showing looks from multiple angles.

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The turnovers, though, dictated the game's shape. Tampa Bay fumbled on three straight drives between the first and second quarters, handing Cincinnati 21 points and digging a 21-3 hole. Baker Mayfield was responsible for three of them, fumbling three times and losing all three, even as he finished 23 of 28 for 216 yards with no interceptions, a 98.8 passer rating and a rushing touchdown. Cincinnati scored 24 points off Tampa Bay's mistakes overall.

Bowles also noted a strange statistical wrinkle from the afternoon. “The sad part is we didn't punt. It was either a turnover or points. We can't turn it over,” he said. “Against a team like that, they've got very good players and they coach very well. We didn't help ourselves.”

There were bright spots. Rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter recorded his first career sack and a 38-yard pick six that pulled Tampa Bay within 27-20 in the third quarter. Bucky Irving added 93 yards from scrimmage and a score.

The loss snapped a five-game streak of season-opening wins for the Bucs, who now host the Browns at Raymond James Stadium next Sunday.