The Tampa Bay Buccaneers kick off their 2026 season Sunday on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals.
To ensure I’m not strictly looking through Bucs-colored glasses in my preview coverage, I decided to phone a friend and reach out to Matt Fitzgerald, site expert for Stripe Hype, FanSided’s dedicated Bengals page.
I gathered plenty of intel, including which Buccaneers players are striking the most fear into the Bengals, and what could be the most favorable and unfavorable matchups for Tampa Bay in Week 1. It’s a valuable peek behind enemy lines, and a unique perspective for Bucs fans who haven’t yet viewed this game through a Bengals lens.
Bengals expert fears Tampa Bay Buccaneers' running backs duo could exploit Cincinatti's linebackers
Q: The Bengals have notoriously started their seasons slow over the last few years. Does this remain a concern heading into 2026, especially against a Buccaneers team that has won five straight season openers?
A: Week 1 is often a massive liar/outlier, so I try not to overreact. But yeah, Zac Taylor has struggled. Much of those issues have had to do with Joe Burrow’s health. It is still a concern this year, because the offense is transitioning to more of an under center system. It’s a necessary initiative that’ll pay off in the long run, but it could be bumpy early on.
Q: The Bengals have revamped their defense this offseason with several high-profile additions including Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, and Bryan Cook. Do you expect this new-look defense to hit the ground running against a talented Bucs offense in Week 1?
A: I do. DJ Turner and Dax Hill are among the league’s elite boundary cornerback tandems. Whether anyone outside Bengals fandom knows that yet or not doesn’t really faze me. Their job will be made much easier by swapping out Bryan Cook for Geno Stone. I can’t even begin to describe how much of an upgrade that is. I mean, Geno is on Buffalo’s practice squad if that tells you anything. The modern NFL makes safeties a lot more interchangeable than they used to be. That said, Jordan Battle is a tremendous free safety in coverage, and Cook is among the surest tacklers in the league. I’d love to see him play in the box more, and even at the nickel in three-safety sets with Kyle Dugger, because that’s where he’s at his best.
And what makes the secondary’s job far easier? A stout, deep defensive line with plenty of fresh bodies who can rush the passer. The Bengals were the worst run defense in football last year, too, and Dexter Lawrence will change that overnight.
Whether the defense hits the ground running depends on Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter at linebacker. They were atrocious as rookies. Apparently, they’ve both taken a massive leap forward. We’ll find out real quick if that’s true. I don’t really worry about Emeka Egbuka or Jalen McMillan against Dax and DJ, but I am straight up dreading Carter/Knight trying to cover Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell out of the backfield.
Q: What was the biggest or most impactful move that the Bengals made this offseason? This can be a signing, coach/player loss, draft pick, trade or coach/front office move.
A: It’s by far Dexter Lawrence. Numbskulls who believe the Bengals overpaid for him just couldn’t be stupider. If those folks look at his so-called “down” year in 2025, the slightest smidgen of critical thought and glimpse at on/off the field splits will show them that Lawrence still had a massive impact.
Now that Lawrence actually has, you know, a competent offense to complement him, plus a chip on his shoulder from the widespread perception that he may be a declining player, he’s poised to put up his third All-Pro season. I’ve never been more confident in a player in my life. Well OK, other than a healthy Joe Burrow.
Q: Do the Bengals have a clear weakness that the Buccaneers can exploit during this matchup?
A: I touched on that with Carter and Knight in coverage against Irving and Gainwell. I can honestly say that’s the only thing keeping me on edge. Cincinnati matches up very well personnel-wise.
Q: Vice versa, is there a weakness the Buccaneers have that you expect the Bengals to exploit?
A: That left guard-center combo of Ben Bredeson and Graham Barton is looking pretty rough on paper, especially against the Bengals’ core defensive tackle trio of Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen and B.J. Hill. But that’s quite self-evident.
The Bucs are banking on Rueben Bain Jr. to be an immediate star. He has a very tough draw in Week 1, as he’ll be lined up against Bengals right tackle Amarius Mims more often than not. Mims is one of the league’s ascending players. He’s 6’8”, 350 pounds with a 7’3” wingspan. Bain’s short arms shouldn’t be a major problem overall, but in his NFL debut, against a freak-of-freaks like Mims, I reckon he’s going to struggle. Cincinnati should be able to run right at Bain all afternoon and totally neutralize one of Tampa’s most impactful players when Joe Burrow drops back to pass.
Q: Is there a roster strength that Cincinnati has that is currently being underrated by rival fanbases or the media?
A: The offensive line. They continue to get a bad rap even though they played great overall from Week 7 onward last season. Again, things could be clunky in the beginning with this shift toward a more under-center attack, but they have enough experience, continuity and chemistry to make it all work in the end. Helps to have super smart vets like Ted Karras at center and Burrow at QB to make it all go.
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