Monday, 4 a.m.
The game was there for the taking. All the Tampa Bay Bucs had to do was reach out and grab it.
And Baker Mayfield dropped it.
Again and again.
Mayfield, the Bucs' fabulously rich quarterback, fumbled three times in the Bucs' 33-27 loss to Cincinnati in the season opener for both teams Sunday.
The Bucs fumbled four times in all in their loss, never giving themselves a chance to win. Mayfield also threw an interception that was called back because of a penalty.
On the day, Mayfield hit 23 of 28 passes. But he was sacked four times and had the problem with turnovers.
The Bucs didn't show enough improvement as they had hoped. Rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter had 11 tackles, a sack and returned an interception 38 yards for a touchdown.
But the new pass rush only sacked Joe Burrow once (Trotter). The seconary allowed 25 completions in 35 attempts. The defensive line gave up 106 yards rushing. The offensive line struggled throughout the day.
The Rays did get a bit of a break. The rest of the teams in NFC South all lost. New Orleans fell in overtime to Detroit, the Falcons lost to the Steelers and Carolina fell to Chicago.
The Bucs are home on Sunday at 2 p.m. against the Cleveland Browns.