Week 1 · Sunday, September 13 · 1:00 PM ET
Why This Game Matters
Cincinnati opens the season trying to prove Joe Burrow right after he called this 'the most talented roster' of his career, while Tampa Bay is looking for an immediate answer to last year's second-half collapse that cost it the NFC South and a six-year playoff streak. With the Bengals sitting around No. 11 in early power rankings and the Bucs down near No. 25, it's an early measuring-stick game for two teams on very different offseason trajectories.
Key Matchups
- Bengals DT Dexter Lawrence and new edge signing Boye Mafe against a Bucs offensive line still ramping up All-Pro LT Tristan Wirfs, who missed most of camp with a hamstring injury
- Baker Mayfield's retooled receiver room, now without Mike Evans, against a Cincinnati secondary already thinned by camp injuries to CB Dax Hill and S Bryan Cook
- Tampa Bay's rebuilt pass rush, led by rookie OLB Rueben Bain Jr., against Joe Burrow and a Bengals offensive line trying to protect him after Burrow restructured his contract to fund the defensive overhaul
- Cincinnati's defensive front trying to generate pressure without DE Shemar Stewart (knee), leaning on Lawrence and Mafe to make up the difference against Mayfield
Injury Report
Tristan Wirfs · TB LT
Limited
All-Pro left tackle suffered a hamstring injury during conditioning testing at the start of camp; returned to practice Aug. 17 but limited to individual drills as the team ramps him up.
Zyon McCollum · TB CB
Limited
Dealing with a groin issue during camp, working on a side field under trainer supervision after standout early practices.
Shemar Stewart · CIN DE
Out
Hyperextended his left knee early in training camp; no ligament damage is believed, and Zac Taylor said he'll miss several weeks, though he's since been seen without a brace and moving without a limp in rehab.
Erick All Jr. · CIN TE
Limited
Still working back and limited in camp as he recovers from the torn ACL that cost him all of the 2025 season.
Bryan Cook · CIN S
Out
Newly signed safety has been sidelined with an injury for portions of training camp.
Dax Hill · CIN CB
Out
Battling an injury that has kept him out of practice during camp.
Series History
All-time: Tampa Bay leads the all-time regular-season series 7-6 over 13 meetings; the teams have never faced each other in the playoffs.
Last meeting: The Bengals won the most recent meeting 34-23 at Tampa Bay on December 18, 2022 (Week 15), overcoming a slow start that included an early interception to pull away behind a strong second-half defensive and special-teams effort; Joe Burrow called it 'an exciting game but an ugly one that we were able to pull out.'
- · Tampa Bay won six straight meetings in the series from 1995 to 2010 to build a 7-3 lead, but Cincinnati has won three in a row since to close the gap to one game
- · The two teams have also met once in the preseason in recent years (Tampa Bay won 17-14 on Aug. 10, 2024), though that game does not count in the official series record
Weather
Forecast not yet available this far out — check back closer to kickoff. Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati is an open-air stadium.
Records & Rankings on the Line
- · Cincinnati enters around No. 11 in early power rankings versus Tampa Bay near No. 25, one of the bigger gaps on the Week 1 slate
- · The Bengals are trying to open a season with a statement win as they seek to snap a three-year playoff drought
- · The Buccaneers are trying to avoid an 0-1 start after finishing 8-9 last season and losing the NFC South to Carolina on a tiebreaker
The Desk Weighs In
Duke Callahan
CIN -6
Reasoning not yet published for this pick.
Vega Okafor
CIN -7
Reasoning not yet published for this pick.
Sunny Marchetti
CIN -7
Reasoning not yet published for this pick.
Reese Thackeray
CIN -3
Reasoning not yet published for this pick.
Priest Dunbar
CIN -4
Reasoning not yet published for this pick.