CINCINNATI — The Bengals saw all they needed to see of Joe Burrow in their first series against Tampa Bay on Saturday night.

In his first game action in nearly nine months, Cincinnati’s franchise quarterback directed a 73-yard drive, tossed a touchdown pass to Tee Higgins and then walked off the field.

The Buccaneers scored late to win the game 17-14, but Burrow passed his test.

He was 5 for 7 for 51 yards, directed five first downs and completed passes to four different receivers.

“I thought he was in control and saw the defense really well,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “I thought he handled it really well, and those guys made plays for him.”

The first and last passes of the drive were to Higgins, one of the few other Bengals’ offensive starters to play. Burrow found Higgins for a 9-yard gain to open the drive. Then, on second-and-goal from the Tampa Bay 10, Burrow hit Higgins at the 5, with the receiver sidestepping cornerback Josh Hayes to go in untouched.

Burrow looked as if he was back to his old self after having surgery last year to repair a torn ligament in his throwing hand. He avoided taking any hits, on one play throwing the ball into the ground to avoid blitzing safety Kaevon Merriweather.

“Still some work to do, but it was nice to be back out there,” Burrow said. “Scored that touchdown, had a little help. It was a nice start.”

Burrow was injured last Nov. 16 at Baltimore, coincidentally on a touchdown throw to Higgins.

Backup Jake Browning didn’t fare as well on Saturday. He played the rest of the first half and the third quarter, going 10 for 18 for 52 yards. Cincinnati struggled until Logan Woodside, the third quarterback of the night, threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to rookie Jermaine Burton, a third-round draft pick, late in the game.

Higgins left the game after the first series, too. He is playing with a franchise tag, so he has something to prove in 2024.

Bucs rest starters

Quarterback Baker Mayfield and most of Tampa Bay’s top players didn’t participate. Backup Kyle Trask played the first half, going 12 for 20 for 144 yards and was intercepted by rookie cornerback Josh Newton.

Fourth-round pick Bucky Irving carried six times for 27 yards and bulled in for a 5-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Center Graham Barton, Tampa Bay’s first-round pick, saw significant action, helping blow out the middle of the Bengals’ defensive line on Irving’s touchdown.

“We got our first game under our belts,” Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles said. “A lot of guys played for the first time. For the most part it was sloppy. There are a few things we need to clean up, but we made progress.”

Unlike last August when Mayfield was on a one-year, prove-it contract and competing with Trask to succeed Tom Brady as Tampa Bay’s quarterback, there are no lingering questions about the direction of the offense in training camp this summer.

The Bucs are confident Mayfield is positioned for continued success after leading the team to a third consecutive NFC South title and being rewarded with a new three-year, $100 million contract.

Injuries

Bucs TE Devin Culp was being evaluated for a possible concussion.

Bengals WR and kick-returner Charlie Jones wasn’t in uniform after injuring a knee in practice Thursday.

Up Next

Buccaneers: At Jaguars next Saturday.

Bengals: At Bears next Saturday.