After several months of the offseason, the NFL season is less than a month away from kicking off. That means Tampa Bay Buccaneers football is finally back in our lives, with the team’s preseason kicking off on Saturday night.
Tampa Bay is jumping in midstream, as the preseason got underway Thursday in two separate games in New England and New York (plus the Hall of Fame game last weekend). Over the next three weeks, teams will play their three preseason games while finalizing their 53-man rosters for the regular season.
The Buccaneers will open their preseason slate this year in Cincinnati to take on the Bengals. From key storylines to injury reports and how to watch the game, here is everything to know about the Bucs' preseason opener tonight.
How to watch Buccaneers vs. Bengals Preseason Week 1
Saturday's matchup will mark the 15th time in NFL history the Buccaneers and Bengals have played against each other, with Tampa Bay holding a 9-6 record against Cincinnati all-time. In addition, this is the second time in the last four seasons that the Buccaneers and Bengals have kicked off their preseason together.
In week one of the 2021 preseason, Cincinnati visited Raymond James Stadium and beat Tampa Bay 19-14 behind a four-sack outing by the Bengals' defense. Even with four different Bucs quarterbacks taking snaps under center, Tampa Bay mustered a preseason-worst seven points of offense behind a two-yard touchdown run by Ke'Shawn Vaughn in the first quarter.
- Date: Saturday, August 9
- Start Time: 7:00 PM ET
- Location: Paycor Stadium | Cincinnati, OH
- TV Channel: WTTA-TV
- Announcers: Mike Watts | Anthony Munoz | Marisa Contipelli
- Live Stream: NFL+
Buccaneers vs. Bengals injury report
Injuries have already impacted the Bucs in just the first few weeks of training camp. Silas Dzansi and Sua Opeta have both already been lost for the season, and Yaya Diaby is expected to miss the entire preseason.
Still, there are plenty of healthy Bucs players who now have a chance to step up. Here’s a look at our first official injury report of the season:
Buccaneers Injury Report
- RB Chase Edmonds: Questionable (Undisclosed)
- OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka: Questionable (Shoulder Sprain)
- SS Jordan Whitehead: Questionable (Quad)
- OT Silas Dzansi: Injured Reserve (Knee)
Bengals Injury Report
- WR Charlie Jones: Questionable (Undisclosed)
- TE Mike Gesicki: Questionable (Undisclosed)
- DT Domenique Davis: Questionable (Undisclosed)
- DE Cam Sample: Injured Reserve (Achilles)
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