Winston, Buccaneers' defense shine in 29-7 rout of Bears

So much for the notion that a Hurricane Irma-imposed layoff might hinder the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Chicago Bears.

Jameis Winston and Co. played like a team with heightened expectations in winning their season opener 29-7 on Sunday. They also looked confident, fully capable of ending a long playoff drought.

"Complementary football at its finest," the third-year quarterback said. "Defense played phenomenal. Offense had great drives, eliminated the three-and-outs, and eliminated turnovers."

Winston threw for 204 yards and one touchdown, the Bucs' defense stymied former teammate Mike Glennon with four turnovers, and the sloppy Bears (0-2) didn't get into the zone until Deonte Thompson scored on a 14-yard reception with 1:43 remaining.

"Basically, not a good day at the office," Bears coach John Fox said. "I think any time you go out and have four giveaways in the first half, it's not good news."

The Bucs (1-0) dominated despite having a short week of practice following the massive storm that forced postponement of the team's scheduled season opener at Miami.

The team joined the Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars in wearing "ONE FLORIDA" decals on their helmets Sunday. First responders who've worked tirelessly in the aftermath of Irma were among special guests in the announced crowd of 56,640 at Raymond James Stadium.

"We had a chip on our shoulder. ... We wanted to be a pick-me-up for our fans, definitely the cities around the Tampa Bay area," Winston said. "It was fun out there. The crowd was electric, and we tried our best."

Winston completed 18 of 30 passes without an interception. He threw a 13-yard TD pass to Mike Evans, who had seven catches for 93 yards.

Glennon, who signed with Chicago as a free agent last winter, was 31 of 45 for 301 yards and two interceptions in his return to the city where he played for the first four years of his career . The Bears finished with 310 yards total offense, 1 yard less than a Bucs offense that hasn't had much work in the past month.

By the time he lined up to face the Bears, Winston hadn't taken a snap in a game in three weeks. Eight regulars, including Evans, receiver DeSean Jackson, linebacker Kwon Alexander and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, hadn't seen game action in a month.

The Bucs insisted, though, that they would not use rustiness as an excuse if they had a less-than-sharp debut. The way the Bears played, the layoff never had a chance to become an issue.

After opening the season with a solid performance in a 23-17 loss to defending NFC champion Atlanta , the Bears turned over the ball four times in the opening half, helping Winston build a 26-0 halftime lead.

If Chicago had an advantage entering the game, it figured to be Glennon's knowledge of the Tampa Bay defense. The fifth-year pro faced it in practice every day the past four seasons, the last two as Winston's backup.

And while the Bears did have some success moving the ball, the barrage of turnovers was too much to overcome.

Glennon's first-half miscues led to two touchdowns. Rookie Tarik Cohen's ill-advised decision to scoop a punt off the ground and run with it deep in Bears territory set up Tampa Bay's first TD, Winston's 13-yard pass to Evans.

Noah Spence sacked Glennon, forcing a second-quarter fumble that led to Jacquizz Rodgers' 1-yard TD run. Robert McClain's interception and 46-yard return up the sideline on Chicago's next possession hiked the lead to 23-0.

"Obviously not what I had envisioned or hoped. Ultimately it shows how precious taking care of the football is," Glennon said.

"Four turnovers in the first half, you're not going to win many football games," the Bears quarterback added. "Three of those fall on me, and ultimately I have to do a better job taking care of the football and giving us a chance to win."

NOWHERE TO RUN

The Bucs limited the Bears to 20 yards rushing. While part of that could be attributed to Chicago falling behind early, it's fair to note that Cohen and Jordan Howard didn't have much room to run when they did get the ball. Cohen gained 13 yards on seven attempts, with 9 coming on one carry. Howard, who topped 100 yards during a lopsided loss to Tampa Bay last season, finished with 7 yards on nine attempts. As a tandem, Cohen and Howard averaged 1.3 yards per carry.

EFFECTIVE, THOUGH NOT FLASHY

Jackson was Tampa Bay's big offseason acquisition. The speedy receiver, who had a 21-yard reception and finished with three catches for 39 yards, was signed in free agency in hopes of making the offense more explosive.

INJURIES

Bears: OL Tom Compton (hip) and LB Nick Kwiatkoski (pectoral) did not play in the second half.

Buccaneers: Alexander, who had Tampa Bay's first interception, left the game in the second quarter with a hamstring injury and did not return.

UP NEXT

Bears: Return home to face Pittsburgh.

Buccaneers: Play road opener at Minnesota, which played Sunday without QB Sam Bradford

Winston's 3 TD passes help Bucs beat 49ers 34-17

For a guy who started the season sitting on the couch, Jacquizz Rodgers sure has made the most of his long-awaited opportunity to be a featured running back in the NFL.

Rodgers followed his first career 100-yard game by rushing for a career-high 154 yards and Jameis Winston threw three touchdown passes to lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 34-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

"I've been waiting on this moment," Rodgers said. "My job is to take full advantage of it."

After being cut just before the season by Chicago and signing with Tampa Bay following the opener, Rodgers has filled in admirably for injured Doug Martin and Charles Simsto help Tampa Bay (3-3) get its season back on track following three straight losses.

He set career highs with 30 carries for 101 yards two weeks ago against Carolina and then returned from the bye with an even better performance against the 49ers. These last two games marked the first time in his six-year career that Rodgers has had at least 20 carries or 100 yards in a game.

"I feel like I have that swag I had in college," Rodgers said. "You know you're going in and you're going to touch the ball a lot of times. It helps you run with a lot of confidence knowing that you're not just going to get the ball five times. It helps me get into the groove."

The Bucs fell behind by 14 points early before scoring 27 straight behind a 249-yard rushing performance to deal the Niners (1-6) their sixth straight loss for San Francisco's longest losing streak since 2008.

Mike Evans caught eight passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns , Russell Shepard scored on a 19-yard pass from Winston and Peyton Barber iced the game with a 44-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to help Tampa Bay win its second straight game around its bye week.

Colin Kaepernick struggled in his second start of the season for the 49ers, going just 16 for 34 for 143 yards and turning the ball over twice after kneeling once again for the national anthem. Kaepernick replaced Blaine Gabbert as starter last week in Buffalo but the team has shown no signs of improving with him at the helm.

"Forward, backward, we're not doing what we need to do to be successful," coach Chip Kelly said. "We turned the ball over too many times to be successful today."

OPPORTUNISTIC PLAY: The Bucs turned two turnovers by San Francisco into 10 points in the third quarter. The first came when Niners rookie Aaron Burbridge collided with punt returner Jeremy Kerley, who was calling for a fair catch. That led to a muff that Tampa Bay recovered, setting up a field goal by Roberto Aguayo. On San Francisco's next possession, Jude Adjei-Barimah blitzed and forced a fumble by Kaepernick that Gerald McCoy recovered. Winston then threw a 3-yard TD pass to Evans to make it 27-14.

POROUS DEFENSE: Rodgers didn't take long to become the sixth straight running back to top the 100-yard mark in a game against the 49ers. His 45-yard run in the second quarter set up a field goal by Roberto Aguayoand gave him 102 yards on the day. Rodgers joined Fozzy Whitaker, Christine Michael, Ezekiel Elliott, David Johnson and LeSean McCoy as backs to gain at least 100 yards against San Francisco this season. The Niners are on pace to allow the most yards rushing in a season since 1981.

FAST START: For the second time in the past three home games, the Niners broke out to a 14-0 lead and lost it all by halftime. Kaepernick led a 75-yard drive to open the game, capped by Mike Davis' 4-yard run . Gerald Hodges' interception of Winston then set up a 17-yard TD pass from Kaepernick to Shaun Draughn. Tampa Bay scored 17 points in the second quarter to take the lead. Three weeks ago, Dallas fell behind 14-0 before tying the game at halftime and winning 24-17.

"Right now we haven't been playing 60 minutes, we've had good spurts and we've had flashes, but we haven't been able to do that on a continual basis," Kaepernick said.

MISSED KICK: Aguayo, a second-round draft pick, missed his fifth field goal of the season when he was short from 50 yards in the fourth quarter. He is 6-for-11 on the year and has also missed one extra point.

Bucs beat Panthers 17-14 on last-second field goal by Aguayo

Roberto Aguayo's shaky rookie season got a big lift Monday night.

The rookie made up for missing two earlier field goals by converting a 38-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the Carolina Panthers 17-14 on Monday night.

Aguayo, the most accurate kicker in NCAA history, had clanked a 33-yard field goal attempt off the right upright and missed wide left from 46 yards that would have given the Bucs the lead with 3:38 left in the game. He was just 3 of 7 on the season before the winning kick.

"Obviously you get a little angry when you miss them," Agauyo said. "You can't dwell on it or you won be ready for the next one."

When asked how comfortable he was with the field position on the final kick, Bucs coach Dirk Koetter replied, "I wasn't comfortable. We couldn't get close enough."

Jameis Winston was 18 of 30 for 219 yards and threw a TD pass to Mike Evans. He also led a 66-yard drive to get the Buccaneers (2-3) into field goal range. A costly 15-yard facemask penalty on Kony Ealy hurt the Panthers along the way.

Jacquizz Rodgers ran for 101 yards on 30 carries in place of the injured Doug Martin.

The Panthers turned the ball over four times, three of those by Derek Anderson, who was filling in for the concussed Cam Newton.

"We moved the ball when we wanted to and had a lot of good things happen, but we had bad plays at the wrong times," Anderson said.

The most costly turnover came late in the fourth quarter with the game tied at 14 and the Panthers having a first-and-goal at the Tampa Bay 2. Anderson inexplicably threw into double coverage in the right corner of the end zone and was intercepted by Brent Grimes.

"If I had it back I would have thrown it away," Anderson said. "That was a difference maker."

The Panthers ruined a memorable night from Greg Olsen, who had a career-high 181 yards receiving on nine catches. Cameron Artis-Payne ran for two touchdowns for the Panthers.

Carolina is now 1-4 after reaching the Super Bowl last season.

"We've got a laundry list of things that didn't go our way," Olsen said. "The reality is, in this league, you make your own luck. You make your own fate. You can't sit around and hope the ball bounced your way. Right now, it's not, but that's just the nature of this league. It goes in flows. There's times where it seems like everything you do is right, the ball bounces your way, but that's not the case right now for us. We've got to make our own luck, because nobody's feeling sorry for us. That's just the reality right now."

TURNOVER PRONE: The Panthers turned the ball over just 19 times last season en route to the Super Bowl. This year they already have 14 turnovers in the first five games.

RIVERBOAT RON: With his team trailing 6-0, Panthers coach Ron Rivera lived up to his "Riverboat Ron" moniker when he went for it on fourth-and-goal from the Bucs 1-yard line. Artis-Payne dove into the end zone to give Carolina its first lead of the game.

BUCS UP FRONT: The Bucs were without starters - Gerald McCoy (calf) and Clinton McDonald (hamstring) and defensive end Robert Ayers (ankle) - out with injuries.

NO LEAGUE MVP: Newton was not on the sideline after sustaining a concussion last week against the Falcons. The Panthers visit the Saints next week before getting a bye. It's unclear if the reigning league MVP will be ready to go.

OLSEN MOVES UP: Olsen moved past Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow for eight all-time in yards receiving among NFL tight ends.

BY THE NUMBERS: The Bucs ran 20 plays to Carolina's three in the first quarter. Anderson didn't attempt a pass in the opening quarter as the Bucs controlled the ball for more than 13 minutes.

Broncos lose Siemian, beat Bucs 27-7 to improve to 4-0

 Paxton Lynch made his NFL debut sooner than expected Sunday, stepping in for injured starter Trevor Siemian to help the Denver Broncos remain unbeaten with a 27-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Siemian left the game with two minutes remaining in the first half with what the defending Super Bowl champions described as an injury to his left (non-throwing) shoulder. He remained in uniform and watched the second half from the sideline, wearing a baseball cap while Lynch - the 26th pick in this year's draft- finished the Broncos' ninth consecutive win.

Siemien threw a touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas, capitalizing on Aqib Talib's interception and 25-yard return to the Bucs 11 on Tampa Bay's opening possession. The ex-Buc cornerback also set up another first-half TD with a second interception that led to C.J. Anderson's 1-yard run for a 14-7 lead.

For the second straight week, play was stopped in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium because of inclement weather. The game was suspended for 1 hour, 26 minutes with 6:52 remaining Sunday, with only a few thousand fans returning to their seats for the conclusion.

Jameis Winston scrambled 7 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, but had limited success against the Denver defense the rest of the way. In addition to throwing two interceptions, the second-year quarterback was sacked five times while going 17 of 35 for 179 yards.

A week after becoming the first player in league history with 300 passing yards, four TD passes and zero interceptions in his first career road start, Siemian was off to another solid start when he was sacked by Bucs defensive tackle Clinton McDonald, who slung the Broncos quarterback to the turf on his left shoulder for an 8-yard loss late in the second quarter. Siemian left the field on his power and later received a ride to the locker room on a cart.

Denver (4-0) punted after Lynch threw an incompletion on third down coming out of the two-minute warning. The rookie got one more crack at the Bucs defense before halftime, going 4 of 8 for 47 yards to move his team into position for a 38-yard field goal that made it 17-7.

The Broncos set the tone for a frustrating second half for the Bucs, methodically moving 69 yards in 16 plays for a field goal that increased the lead to 13. Lynch's 5-yard TD pass to Emmanuel Sanders, who had eight receptions for 88 yards, made it 27-7 in the fourth quarter.

MODEST NUMBERS

Siemian was 5 of 7 for 68 yards, including an 11-yard TD pass to Sanders on Denver's first offensive play. Lynch finished 14 of 24 for 170 yards, one TD and no interceptions.

HOMECOMING

Talib faced his former team for the second time, first in Tampa. He was a first-round draft pick of the Bucs in 2008 and spent four-plus years with the team before being traded to New England in the middle of the 2012 season. His 33 interceptions are the most by a cornerback since the ninth-year pro entered the league. The first 16 came with Tampa Bay. The only other time he faced his former team, Talib had an interception during New England's 23-3 victory over the Bucs in 2013.

FAST START

The Broncos are 4-0 for the second straight season and third time in four years. Their nine-game winning streak is the longest in the NFL and they've now won a league-best 26 consecutive games when they've won the turnover battle.

SIGNS OF IMPROVEMENT

The Buccaneers had four sacks - 1 1/2 by McDonald, after not getting much pressure on opposing quarterbacks the previous two weeks against Arizona and Los Angeles. Siemian was sacked three times before leaving the game.

INJURIES

Broncos: In addition to Siemian, lost reserve CB Kayvon Webster with hamstring injury in second half.

Buccaneers: Pro Bowl DT Gerald McCoy limped off with a calf in the second quarter and did not return. ... TEBrandon Myers (hip) and LB Noah Spence (shoulder) left in the first half and did not return. ... Played without RB Doug Martin (hamstring) and DE Robert Ayers Jr. (ankle) for the second straight week.

Rams weather delay, hold off Buccaneers 37-32

Turns out the offensively challenged Los Angeles Rams are capable of getting the ball in the end zone.

Case Keenum threw for the team's first touchdown since relocating back to Los Angeles, and Todd Gurley rushed for two more scores Sunday in a 37-32 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Rams (2-1), who did not have TD in the first two games of the season, also scored on Ethan Westbrooks' 77-yard fumble return and Tavon Austin's 43-yard reception in the fourth quarter before thunder and lightning caused a 69-minute weather delay with two minutes remaining.

" When you score points, which we did, you've got a chance," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said.

The Rams, who used three field goals to beat Seattle 9-3 in Week 2, saw Keenum complete 14 of 25 passes for 190 yards, two TDs and one interception, which Bucs linebacker Kwon Alexander returned 38 yards for a first-quarter touchdown. In addition to throwing a TD pass to Austin for a late 11-point lead, he got the Rams on track early with his 44-yard scoring pass to Brian Quick for the franchise's first TD as the L.A. Rams since 1994.

"Anytime you can get out there and have success early, it kind of settles you down as an offense," Keenum said.

The defense did its part, too, holding off Jameis Winston's bid to rally the Bucs (1-2) in the closing seconds.

Tampa Bay forced a punt after the lightning delay and drove from its 44 to the Rams 15 in 1:42 before Winston threw two incompletions and was tackled by Robert Quinn after a 10-yard run on the final play. Winston looked tentative and never really took off full-speed on the play, instead apparently still hoping to throw the ball after he crossed the line scrimmage.

"I was just trying to bait them, get closer to the end zone," Winston said. "At that moment I've got to give somebody a chance in the end zone."

Winston threw for 405 yards and three TDs for Tampa Bay (1-2). He threw an interception that set up one of Gurley's two 1-yard touchdown runs, and was stripped by the Quinn on the fumble that Westbrooks returned up the left sideline for a 31-20 lead.

Mike Evans' 7-yard TD reception trimmed Tampa Bay's deficit to 37-32 with 2:15 remaining.

"I'm confident in my defense. It's the best defense in the league, and I believe that," Keenum said. "I had no doubts they were going to stop them."

WEATHER DELAY

Officials suspended play during the two-minute warning with the Rams facing third-and-11 from their 5. Fans were asked to clear the stands and seek coverage in stadium concourses before the approaching thunderstorm passed directly over the field, dumping heavy rain.

DROUGHT ENDS

The Rams scored their first touchdown of the season, driving 75 yards on eight plays following the opening kickoff to take a 7-0 lead on Keenum's 44-yard pass to Quick just over three minutes into the game. Gurley's TD, set up by ex-Buc Mark Barron's interception and 7-yard return to the Tampa Bay 22, trimmed Tampa Bay's lead to 20-17 just before halftime. With Tampa Bay driving for a possible go-ahead score in the fourth quarter, Quinn's sack/strip led to Westbrooks' fumble return. It was the NFL-leading 18th fumble Quinn has forced since entering the league in 2012.

FILLING IN

With RB Doug Martin sidelined with a hamstring injury, Charles Sims made his first NFL pro start for the Bucs and rushed for 55 yards on 13 attempts. The third-year pro, who has been a key component of Tampa Bay's passing game since Winston joined the team, also had six receptions for 69 yards.

WATCH ME NOW

The Bucs unveiled a new video board system as part of a $140 million renovation of Raymond James Stadium. The system features two 9,600 square-foot boards on the north and south ends of the stadium, as well as four 2,300 square-foot tower walls. With more than 31,000 square feet of combined video display space, the team says it the third-largest video board system in the NFL.

WINSTON'S TARGETS

Evans had 10 receptions for 132 yards and became the first player in Bucs history to catch a TD pass in three consecutive games to start a season. WR Adam Humphries finished with nine receptions for a career-best 100 yards, and TE Cameron Brate had TD receptions of 3 and 1 yards.

Palmer throws for 3 TDs, Winston picked off 4 times in rout

The Arizona Cardinals looked like the team they are supposed to be, often at the expense of Jameis Winston.

Carson Palmer threw for 308 yards and three touchdowns, and the Cardinals intercepted Winston four times in a 40-7 rout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Marcus Cooper, acquired for a conditional draft pick in a trade with Kansas City on Sept. 2, had two interceptions, returning the second 60 yards for a score. Winston also fumbled the ball away once.

"It is a humbling league," Tampa Bay coach Dirk Koetter said. "We got humbled today."

Winston, who had four touchdown passes against Atlanta in the opener and was NFC player of the week, threw 51 passes, the most in his two NFL seasons, completing 27 for 243 yards.

"We played one of the best defenses in the league," Winston said, "but all those interceptions are on me."

Palmer completed 18 of 31 passes with no interceptions before sitting out most of the fourth quarter.

The Cardinals lost at home to a depleted New England team in their season opener and bounced back in a big way.

"There was too much holding your breath (against the Patriots)," Arizona coach Bruce Arians said. "I thought we cut it loose today."

All three of Palmer's scoring passes came in the first half, to Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and Jaron Brown.

The Cardinals (1-1), coming off a season-opening home loss to New England, scored two touchdowns in a 1:16 span in the final two minutes of the first half for a 24-0 lead into the break.

Winston had an especially rough first 30 minutes, completing 11 of 20 for 77 yards with two interceptions and a fumble.

The four turnovers led to 17 Arizona points.

Tampa Bay took the second-half kickoff and drove for a score. Mike Evans beating Patrick Peterson for a 19-yard TD.

The Buccaneers (1-1) got the ball back and were driving again when defensive lineman Josh Mauro tipped Winston's pass. Cooper grabbed it and outran defenders down the sideline to make it 33-7.

NEW CORNERBACK?: Arians said the plan was for rookie Brandon Williams and Cooper to alternate series, but once Cooper was in, he stayed in.

"He got hot," Arians said. "You don't take hot hands out."

Now Cooper may have the job all to himself.

"We'll see how it goes," Arians said. "He could potentially be the starter over there."

QUICK STRIKE: The Buccaneers were on their best drive of the first half when running back Charles Sims III brushed against Winston and the ball popped loose. Tony Jefferson recovered for Arizona at the Cardinals 29.

After the fumble recovery, Palmer's 24-yard pass to Fitzgerald eventually put the ball at the Tampa Bay 1. On third down, Palmer hit Michael Floyd in the back of the end zone and it was 17-0 with 1:36 to go in the half.

A quick three-and-out by the Buccaneers gave the Cardinals the ball at their 26, plenty of time for a high-octane offense finally getting in gear.

Jaron Brown got behind the defense and gathered in a perfect pass from Palmer for a 51-yard touchdown with 20 seconds still remaining until halftime.

WINSTON PICKED: Peterson outmaneuvered Mike Evans on Winston's deep pass to the end zone and intercepted .

Cooper returned an interception 23 yards to the Tampa Bay 19, leading to an Arizona field goal.

The third pick was Cooper again, for a touchdown. Winston's fourth interception came on the game's last play.

DO-EVERYTHING JOHNSON: The Buccaneers held David Johnson to 45 yards rushing in 12 attempts, but he caught three passes for 98 yards. The longest came on a check-down from Palmer, a play that went for 58 yards.

"I don't think you can find a weakness in his game," Palmer said.

NO SUBSTITUTION: Koetter got irritated when reporters kept questioning him on why he left Winston in the game when the outcome long had been determined.

"You could criticize me all you want," Koetter said. "He stayed in. The decision is made. So write what you are going to write."

INJURIES: Injuries hit the Buccaneers hard.

First, they lost tight Luke Stocker (ankle) in the first quarter. And after a 1-yard gain on Tampa Bay's first play of the second quarter, standout RB Doug Martin left with a hamstring injury.

Defensive end Robert Ayers Jr. left with an ankle injury late in the second quarter. Finally, wide receiver Cecil Shorts III left with a hamstring injury in the third quarter.

Winston leads Bucs past Falcons 31-24 in Koetter's debut

Dirk Koetter got a game ball after his debut as an NFL head coach.

Jameis Winston made it all possible.

The second-year quarterback bounced back from an early interception to throw four touchdowns passes, leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 31-24 victory Sunday over the Atlanta Falcons in a season-opening matchup between NFC South rivals.

"Good guys win," quipped Koetter , still dripping with Gatorade after a victory splashing. "Let's do it 15 more times this year."

That might be far-fetched, but at least the Bucs can boast of a winning record for the first time since the 2012 season, when they started 6-4.

Winston presented his new coach with the game ball.

"It was very important that we made him feel the moment was special, not only for him but for us," the quarterback said.

Winston was 23 of 33 for 281 yards, using just about every weapon at his disposal. He hooked up with receiver Mike Evans, running back Charles Sims III and tight ends Austin Sefarian-Jenkins and Brandon Myers on scoring plays.

The Falcons grabbed a 10-3 lead late in the first quarter after Winston's pass for Vincent Jackson was picked off byDesmond Trufant, who returned it 13 yards to the Tampa Bay 9. Jackson broke outside on the route, while Winston's throw went to the inside.

But Winston shook off that miscue with a 4-yard TD pass to Myers, and went to work again with less than two minutes to go in the first half.

After a third-down conversion to Jackson, Winston dumped off a short throw to Sims, who did the rest. He faked out two defenders - cutting right while they both tumbled the turf - and broke two more tackles on the way to a 23-yard touchdown that put Tampa Bay ahead for good.

The Buccaneers scored on their first two possessions of the second half, pushing the lead to 31-13.

The Falcons didn't quit in their final season opener at the Georgia Dome before moving next door to $1.4 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Matt Ryan , looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2015 season in which the Falcons missed the playoffs for the third year in a row, hooked up with Julio Jones on a 25-yard touchdown and tacked on a two-point conversion.

But Atlanta wound up settling for three field goals by Matt Bryant.

"We had four trips into the red zone and came away with one touchdown," Ryan said. "We've got to be much better."

ATLANTA TIES

Koetter was offensive coordinator of the Falcons from 2012-14, and his defensive coordinator is former Atlanta head coach Mike Smith .

"It's weird to see the people on the other side," Koetter said. "But that's the nature of the NFL."

Smith was the winningest coach in Falcons history, nearly leading Atlanta to the Super Bowl during the 2012 season. That was followed by two straight losing seasons and his firing.

INJURY REPORT

Tampa Bay backup linebacker Jacquies Smith was carted to the locker room with a right knee injury and didn't return. He was hurt covering a punt in the first quarter.

UNDISCIPLINED FALCONS

Some big penalties cost the home team in the third quarter. Offensive guard Chris Chester was called for unnecessary roughness, knocking the Falcons out of field-goal range.

On Tampa Bay's ensuing possession, cornerback Robert Alford was also flagged for a personal foul after the Falcons had forced an incomplete pass on third down. The Bucs went on to score a touchdown.

FANTASY WATCH

WR Mohamed Sanu got off to a strong start with the Falcons. He set up a field goal with a 59-yard grab and hauled in a 5-yard TD pass, finishing with five receptions for 80 yards. He also caught a two-point conversion. ... RB Devonta Freeman was held to 20 yards rushing on 11 carries. ... Evans had five catches for 99 yards.

WORTH NOTING

The Falcons failed to sack Winston, while Ryan was sacked three times . ... Tampa Bay's last season-opening win also came in 2012.

UP NEXT

Buccaneers: Tampa Bay travels to the desert to face the Arizona Cardinals next Sunday.

Falcons: Atlanta also heads west next Sunday to meet the Oakland Raiders, who opened with a 35-34 win over New Orleans.

Eagles score quickly, hold off Buccaneers 17-9 in opener

Philadelphia needed 97 seconds to score its only touchdowns Thursday night in beating sloppy Tampa Bay 17-9 in the preseason opener for both teams.

The Eagles covered a mere 27 yards on their two drives to the end zone, with each series lasting three plays after Buccaneers fumbles. Ryan Mathews had a 5-yard TD run to make it 7-0 after Tampa Bay fumbled the opening kickoff. Chase Daniel scooted 3 yards for the second score afterJameis Winston had the ball stripped.

No. 2 overall draft pick Carson Wentz played just more than a half as Eagles quarterback and, as could be expected, was inconsistent. Perhaps his most noteworthy play came when he went flying acrobatically on a fourth-quarter run after a classic tackle by Bucs rookie cornerback Javien Elliott. The QB quickly bounded to his feet, later admitting he needed to make sure not to land on his neck.

Caleb Sturgis made a 42-yard field goal for Philly's other points. Winston connected with Russell Shepard for a 26-yard touchdown for Tampa Bay, whose second-round selection, Roberto Aguayo, added a 38-yard field goal.

SLOPPY START

Buccaneers second-year receiver Kenny Bell, a fifth-round draft pick last year who did not play in 2015, fumbled the opening kickoff, setting up an Eagles touchdown. On Tampa Bay's second offensive series, Philadelphia star lineman Fletcher Cox stripped the ball from Winston on the first play, then fell on it at the Bucs 9. Three plays later, Daniel ran in for a 14-0 lead.

QUOTABLE:

Eagles: "It still felt like a football game, playing ball. A new offense, a new facility, but still football." - Wentz on his pro debut.

Eagles: "I think we have to be the unit that takes over. WE have to beat the guys, especially the guys up front. We have to just take over games and be disruptive." - Cox on his team's defense.

Bucs: "Horrendous start. Fumble the opening kickoff, missed extra point, you just can't do it. Not what I had in mind for the start, for preseason Game 1." - Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter, who like Philadelphia's Doug Pederson was making his NFL head coaching debut.

INJURY UPDATE

Buccaneers: Reserve tight end Brandon Myers hurt his knee in the second period and didn't return.

Eagles: Lost starting left guard Brandon Brooks on the first series with a right biceps injury. Pederson said it was not serious.

Backup center Josh Andrews hurt his right ankle.

ROOKIE WATCH

Buccaneers: Aguayo - yes, Tampa Bay took a placekicker at No. 59 overall in April - saw his first kick, an extra point try, clang off the left upright and fail. Safety Isaiah Johnson had a 35-yard return of an interception.

Eagles: Wentz came on in the second quarter to run the two-minute offense. His first throw was high off the hands ofNelson Agholor, but his next was a sharp 15-yard throw on the run to Zach Ertz. Wentz 12 of 24 for 89 yards and one interception. Wentz was plagued by receivers' drops, and took a hard hit late in the game. He appeared shaken up, but remained in for one more play.

"It was fun," Wentz said. "My first opportunity running the two-minute drill."

Safety Quentin Gause had a pick on a tipped pass that set up a fourth-quarter field goal. Cornerback C.J. Smithclinched it with an end-zone interception in the final seconds.

POOR PROTECTION

Tampa Bay had four sacks of Daniel, who rarely had time to look downfield before he had to scramble or went down. He also threw to no one from his end zone while pressured, but the officials ruled a receiver was nearby, avoiding a safety. Daniel threw for 15 yards and lost 19 on sacks.

Philadelphia had three sacks, one each by Cox and Steven Means, a half apiece for Connor Barwin and Beau Allen.

SOME LIKE IT HOT

It was 91 degrees at kickoff with a heat index of 100 degrees. It did not cool off much all night at the Linc.