Bengals vs. Buccaneers: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Preseason

Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans got their first glimpse of rookie quarterback Jameis Winston in person this preseason, and they received exactly what they were looking for in a dominant 25-11 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Buccaneers controlled the entire contest and tallied 356 total yards compared to Cincinnati's meager 152, which was a testament to strong showings from both the offense and the defense.

While Tampa Bay was impressive in victory, the individual performance of Winston in his first preseason contest at home was of more long-term importance. The former No. 1 pick threw for 131 yards and an interception in his first game against the Minnesota Vikings, but he was more effective Monday and showed the improvement his coaching staff is certainly looking for in August.

Winston led Tampa Bay down the field on its first drive for a score and capped it off with a one-yard touchdown run. 

Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com and Doug Farrar of Sports Illustrated praised the former Florida State Seminole for his performance:

While Winston's composure on the opening drive stood out, he received some support from running back Doug Martin. Martin put Tampa Bay in position to score with a 30-yard burst and caught the eye of Smith and Jenna Laine of Sports Talk 1040 The Team in the process:

In all, Winston finished 8-of-13 passing for 90 yards to go along with his touchdown run, and Martin tallied 59 rushing yards on only six carries.

Winston outperformed Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton. Dalton finished 6-of-13 for 46 yards and two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown by Alterraun Verner, as the NFL shared:

The pick-six wasn't Dalton's fault, but Bengals fans would have preferred to see a better outing from their starting quarterback considering he received extensive playing time well into the second quarter. The timing with No. 1 receiver A.J. Green appeared to be an issue as well, which is concerning since they have been together in Cincinnati since 2011.

Mike Sando of ESPN.com noticed:

Following Dalton's struggles, Tampa Bay virtually put the game away when Mike Glennon connected with Russell Shepard on a 22-yard score to open up a 20-0 lead. The NFL passed along the play:

Glennon remained in the game into the fourth quarter and led the Buccaneers down the field once again, but the Bengals stuffed running back Dominique Brown at the goal line on fourth down. The goal-line stand at least gave Cincinnati something positive to build on within an otherwise disastrous game. 

It was rookie linebacker P.J. Dawson who shot the gap and made the play to prevent the touchdown. The former TCU Horned Frog and 2014 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year demonstrated the talent that could help him contribute this season. Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer and Jay Morrison of Cox Media Group noticed the play:

Dawson also caught the eye of Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis before Monday's game, per Coley Harvey of ESPN.com:

"

I'd probably give him a star for understanding that it's not about him anymore; it's about the football team. We've had other young linebackers in that situation with a lot of ability, and they come out of being kind of the big man on campus and the guy that could throw guys around and do those things back where they were. But they've got to come here and realize that we don't want Jeremy [Hill] or Gio [Bernard] or anybody else hitting the ground.

"

That brief momentum didn't last long for the Bengals. The offense took the field inside its own 2-yard line after the stop, but Tampa Bay's defense proceeded to tackle Cedric Peerman in the end zone for a safety and a 25-3 lead. Linebacker Danny Lansanah made the tackle and earned praise from Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune in the process:

The Bengals made the final score more respectable with less than three minutes remaining when running back James Wilder Jr. notched a five-yard touchdown rush and the subsequent two-point conversion to trim the lead to 25-11. While Wilder Jr. scored the touchdown, backup quarterback AJ McCarron looked comfortable in his role, per Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer:

It was the last notable play of the game, and Tampa Bay prevailed, 25-11.

What's Next?

Brian Blanco/Associated Press

The Bengals return home Saturday for their next contest against the Chicago Bears. It is their third preseason game of the year and will likely be seen as a dress rehearsal for the regular season.

It is still August, so wins and losses aren't as important as development, but Cincinnati needs to clean up some of the passing issues from the starters fans saw Monday. Dalton and Green in particular must find a way to get on the same page before the games begin to count in the standings because it is impossible to envision Cincinnati fulfilling expectations without more production from that duo.

Saturday represents the best chance to do just that in the preseason.

As for the Buccaneers, they stay home for a Saturday clash with the Cleveland Browns. The focus will be on Winston anytime Tampa Bay takes the field this preseason, and he will likely see plenty of playing time in his third contest. He will also be firmly focused on picking up another victory given his postgame quote Monday, per the NFL Network:

The Browns were eighth in the league against the pass in 2014 and will bring a talented secondary to Tampa Bay Saturday. If Winston passes that test like he did against the Bengals, Buccaneers fans will be counting down the days until the regular season.