CINCINNATI -- Between the end of last season and Sunday's opener, the Cincinnati Bengals fielded question after question about their defense, which was overhauled and in dire need of improvement.
It is still early, but some of those questions were answered as the Bengals forced four turnovers and scored one defensive touchdown in a 33-27 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Paycor Stadium.
The team's newcomers played a part in helping the Bengals build a lead and stave off a late rally.
"I kept reminding everybody: 'This is why we're here,'" Bengals defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II said. "Every time the score kept getting closer and closer, situations got more intense: 'This is why we're here -- to make these plays and to show up and help guide the defense.'"
Acquiring Lawrence was the Bengals' marquee offseason move. Ahead of the draft, the team traded the 10th pick for the three-time Pro Bowl selection.
But that wasn't all Cincinnati did. The Bengals also signed defensive end Boye Mafe, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and safety Bryan Cook in free agency. All three played a role in some of the game's big moments Sunday.
Cook and Mafe each had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the Bengals' second straight season-opening victory. Allen registered one of the team's four sacks.
Mafe attributed the defensive performance to the chemistry built over the past few months as Cincinnati approached a pivotal season. Last year, the Bengals missed the playoffs for the third straight season and made moves to improve a defense that finished 27th in points allowed per drive.
"The guys in the room, we believe in each other," Mafe said postgame. "It's a wingman mentality that we have on defense. And nobody thinks it's their show. It's a situation that we trust the brother next to you, and it makes you play better."
Sunday marked the first time since 2007 that the Bengals recovered four fumbles in a game, according to ESPN Research. One of those was a scoop-and-score from linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. with 6:18 left in the first quarter for the Bengals' first touchdown of the game.
That was meaningful, given the dialogue surrounding Knight and fellow linebacker Barrett Carter, who each had rocky rookie seasons in 2025. On Sunday, they answered the bell with the forced turnovers. Carter registered half a sack on Knight's defensive score.
But Knight was not in the mood to take a premature victory lap after the team's defensive performance.
"I mean this in the most humble way possible -- we expect to do that," Carter said. "All that stuff that was said about me and [Knight], it's rat poison. We're not focused on that. We're focused on this locker room and being the best leaders and the best players that we can be."
Cincinnati needed that type of defensive performance on a day when the offense sputtered. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was 25-of-35 passing for 254 yards, one touchdown and an interception that was returned for a score. Kicker Evan McPherson helped the Bengals salvage several stalled drives by making all four of his field goal attempts.
But when the Bengals needed to seal the win, Burrow led the offense down the field to run out the clock and make sure the Buccaneers couldn't complete an 18-point comeback. It was the type of performance needed for a team looking to become a championship contender once again.
"You got to put those games away," Burrow said. "We put it away a little bit later than we wanted to, but we still put it away."
