Bengals Fall To Tampa Bay - The Good - The Bad - MVP

Jump in the trenches as Dave Lapham looks at the good, the bad, and who stood out from the Cincinnati Bengals 14-17 preseason loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday night at Paycor Stadium.

From kickoff, Bengals fans had much to be excited about as quarterback Joe Burrow returned from the injury that robbed him from the second half of last season. Burrow didn't disappoint, leading the Bengals on a 12-play opening drive that ended with a Tee Higgins touchdown as rookie right tackle Amarius Mims showed why the Bengals coaching staff was ecstatic when they drafted him in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Georgia.

Rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton also showed why many are excited to see him paired with Burrow, as the Alabama product led the Bengals in receiving with three catches for 82 yards and a touchdown from Logan Woodside.

But the night wasn't filled with all good things with the Bengals as they struggled to stop the run on defense and made costly mistakes along the way.

However, one player on defense really showed up and earned praise from Lapham as the First Star Logistics Player of the Game.

First Star Logistics presents Dave Lapham In The Trenches.