The 2026 NFL season is underway, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will kick off their campaign against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
It’s a difficult matchup for the Buccaneers, as they’ll be on the road against a playoff contender that boasts one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks in Joe Burrow and one of the league’s best wide receiver duos in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
But to be the best, you have to beat the best, and Tampa Bay won’t shy away from the challenge the Bengals present. If they want to leave Cincinnati with a victory, they’ll need four players in particular to come through with strong performances.
4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers who need to step up against Cincinnati Bengals
Baker Mayfield
In a game that’s shaping up to be a shootout, the Bucs offense will need to put up points to keep up with the Bengals. That starts with the quarterback.
Fans would love to see Mayfield create big plays and light up the stat sheet, but more importantly, he needs to take what the defense gives him and avoid any back-breaking turnovers.
The Bucs were 1-8 in 2025 when Mayfield turned the football over, and giving Cincinnati extra possessions could doom Tampa Bay on Sunday. If Mayfield protects the football and plays a clean game, the Buccaneers will be a hard team to beat.
Zyon McCollum and Jacob Parrish
The biggest question for the Buccaneers entering Week 1 is how their starting cornerback duo will fare against Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
It’s fair to say this is their toughest challenge of the year, right off the bat. Not only are McCollum and Parrish facing an elite wide receiver duo, but there’s also an elite quarterback throwing them the football.
The Bucs cornerbacks will have to come ready to play and avoid giving up too many explosive plays. On paper, this particular matchup leans heavily in Cincinnati's favor, but if McCollum and Parrish rise to the occasion and slow down Chase and Higgins, it’ll put the Buccaneers in great position to win.
Graham Barton
Cincinnati's biggest offseason move was their trade for star nose tackle Dexter Lawrence. He’ll make his Bengals debut against the Buccaneers, and he’ll spend most of his time lined up over center Graham Barton.
Barton needs to hold his own as the anchor of the interior offensive line. If he gets beat repeatedly inside, it’ll be a long day for Mayfield and also for the running game.
If Barton can win the majority of his matchups, it’ll open the door for Tampa Bay’s offense to have a lot of success against an otherwise unimpressive Bengals defense.
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