The Tampa Bay Buccaneers opened their season on the road as underdogs against a Minnesota Vikings team coming off a 13-win season. The Bucs defense gave up plenty of yards in the air (344 in total for Kirk Cousins) but held firm thanks to three first-half turnovers. The second half was all Baker Mayfield. The new Tampa QB led the Bucs on three drives of 10 plays or more, systematically leading his team down the field and eventually icing a 20-17 victory.

As for the Vikings, the storyline was a familiar one: an offense that looked unstoppable at times made too many mistakes when it mattered, and Minnesota looks no closer to becoming a Super Bowl contender. Here are the the four big takeaways from the Buccaneers' upset win over the Vikings in Week 1 of the NFL season.

Baker Mayfield is the successor that Tampa Bay needed

While his passing stats were not as impressive as his opposite number (21-34 for 173 yards and two touchdowns), Baker Mayfield did what he needed to do to lead his new team to victory. After completing just three of his first 11 passes to begin the game, Mayfield found his rhythm late in the second quarter, leading the Tampa offense to a touchdown in the two-minute drill. While he rarely threw the ball down the field, he avoided the costly turnovers that plagued Kirk Cousins.

After Cousins could not move the Vikings into field goal range late in the fourth quarter, Mayfield iced the game by picking up a pair of crucial first downs. The first came via a gutsy third-down run, the other from a perfect throw to Chris Godwin on third-and-ten. He won't throw for 4,000 yards like Cousins, but the Buccaneers will be successful this year if Baker Mayfield can continue to provide mistake-free performances as he did on Sunday.

Tampa's rushing struggles continue

No NFL team finished with fewer rushing yards (nor rushing attempts) last year than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This ineffectiveness in the run game carried over to this year, though Tampa did look to establish its rushing attack. The Bucs ran the ball 33 times for 73 yards against the Vikings, with second-year back Rachaad White leading the way with just 39 yards on 17 carries (2.3 yards/attempt). The team's longest carry on the day only went for six yards. While Baker Mayfield was able to do just enough in the air to lead Tampa Bay to victory, this lack of rushing efficiency — even with a new-look offensive line — is a big concern for this team moving forward.

Dalvin Cook was the key to the Minnesota rushing attack

He may not have been worth the money he asked for, but Dalvin Cook was the key to the Minnesota Vikings' success in the ground game. In his first game as the Vikings' starting running back, Alexander Mattison rushed 11 times for 34 yards, picking up just one first down and not accruing any yards after contact. This lack of effectiveness should not have surprised Minnesota football fans given that Mattison averaged just 3.7 yards per carry across 2021 and 2022.

This poor performance also came against a Bucs defense that was merely average against the run last season, giving up 120 yards per game on a middling 4.5 yards per carry. The Vikings will be in trouble this year if the offensive attack is not balanced as it was during the Dalvin Cook years.

For better or for worse, the Vikings will go as far as their QB will take them

Kirk Cousins threw for an impressive 344 yards and showed a strong rapport with Justin Jefferson as well as rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison. But the veteran QB also committed three turnovers — two lost fumbles and an interception in the red zone — and was nowhere to be found when the Vikes needed a comeback drive late in the fourth quarter as the team went three-and-out on its final offensive possession. The 12th-year signal-caller has always shown an ability to make great throws while putting up strong stat lines, but the few mistakes he makes every game always cap how far he can lead his teams, and the season-opener against the Buccaneers was a prime example. Kirk Cousins is a talented quarterback, but it is hard to see him leading any team to the Super Bowl.