All of the talk and goings-on from a busy Bucs offseason are now firmly in the past as Todd Bowles and Co. will be in Cincinnati for a real, actual, legitimate regular season game Sunday afternoon. Across the field on the other sideline at Paycor Stadium will be Zac Taylor and the Bengals, who are facing a critical 2026 season just like the Bucs are.

For all the struggles they’ve had in avoiding midseason losing streaks under Bowles, the Bucs have only ever started 2-0 under the head coach who is entering his fifth season with the team’s top job and his eighth season with Tampa Bay overall.

As for Cincinnati, Taylor and Co. started 2-0 in 2025 after three straight seasons of 0-2 starts. The Bengals will be looking to avoid dropping their opener to the Bucs, especially with the game at home and taking place a week before a trip to face a strong Texans team in Houston.

After offering a general preview Thursday, let’s dive into what might decide this matchup, as well as some key players to watch in this NFC-AFC showdown in southwest Ohio.

What Might Decide This Bucs-Bengals Matchup?

How quickly can the Bucs offense hit the ground running under new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson? The answer to that question very well could be the biggest factor in deciding the outcome of this game, at least from an offensive standpoint for Tampa Bay. Robinson has been installing his offense for months, of course, and Baker Mayfield and the rest of the unit have gotten plenty of practice reps with it. But with the very few game reps they got in the preseason essentially going to waste due to injuries at offensive tackle and the limited play selection that came as a result, how well will the group’s understanding of the system translate to a game setting?

Bucs OC Zac Robinson and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

It will certainly make matters easier if the Bucs can find some success early and often in the run game behind Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell. Having a fully healthy offensive line, a healthy Irving and a new addition in Gainwell should help to revive a rushing attack that struggled to get going in 2025. The Bengals took measures to shore up their run defense after ranking dead last in that category a year ago, but will those measures pay dividends immediately?

Or can Irving and Gainwell — with help from Robinson’s play-calling and approach to the run game — keep them on their heels throughout the afternoon? If that’s the case, it can make life much easier for Mayfield and the passing game.

Speaking of that passing game, this is the true beginning of life without Mike Evans for Mayfield and his receiving corps. Can the group step up in their respective roles? Will Chris Godwin Jr. carry his strong camp into the regular season and be the engine of the offense, opening things up for the likes of Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan? How healthy — and how ready — will Egbuka and McMillan be after missing time in the preseason? Can Ted Hurst III have a productive debut? There are quite a few questions for the passing attack, which will look to return to what helped it succeed at such a high level under Liam Coen in 2024.

As for the Buccaneer defense, so much of Sunday’s game against one of the most talented offenses in the league will come down to Todd Bowles and how well-prepared he has his linebackers and defensive backs for the short passing game that the Bengals could throw at them. Cincinnati can struggle to protect Joe Burrow, and you can bet that the Bucs’ revamped pass rush will want to make a statement in the regular season opener.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

But Zac Taylor may try to neutralize the front four with quick throws rather than full dropbacks. Whether Tampa Bay can handle that and get off the field on third downs will play a big role in the flow of this game. Of course, any chances the pass rush does have to tee off on Burrow will have to be taken advantage of for the defense to control this one.

On the Bengals’ side of things, they won’t necessarily want to let the Bucs dictate how they play offensively. Burrow is special, and he does a great job with pre-snap recognition, finding favorable matchups and then moving up and around the pocket as he looks for his open man. With that said, Taylor’s game plan very well could call for a lot of quick throws to keep the Buccaneer pass rush at bay, and it’ll be on Burrow and his talented receiving corps to make things happen.

Speaking of making things happen, a special type of performance from Ja’Marr Chase or Tee Higgins — especially when it comes to yards after catch — would go a long way in helping the Cincinnati offense turn this game into a track meet. Both guys are capable of finding holes in the defense and making big plays, and if Tampa Bay can’t keep them in check, it could make for a long day at Paycor Stadium.

There’s also the matter of the Bengals offensive line giving Burrow and his receivers enough time to work. As much as quick throws might help, the big guys up front will still have to hold their own and keep their quarterback upright. If Burrow is under constant duress and is taking hit after hit, it could be Bowles’ front seven that makes this a long day for the other side.

Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase and QB Joe Burrow – Photo by: USA Today

For the Cincinnati defense, so much comes down to how quickly and how significantly the additions of Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen in the middle of the defensive line can transform the unit’s ability to handle the run. The Bengals allowed 147.1 rushing yards per game in 2025, which was good for dead last in the league. Can those additions up front make enough of a difference — and early enough of a difference — to keep the Buccaneer run game in check? If Irving gets going on the ground, it could do so much for the Tampa Bay offense.

The Bengals’ unproven secondary will have to come prepared, too. Back in 2020, the Bucs offense had such an advantage due to the fact that very few defenses could effectively cover the quartet of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin Jr., Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski. The weapons on the Tampa Bay offense in 2026 don’t exactly match up with that of the Super Bowl LV team, but Godwin, Egbuka, McMillan, Hurst and Tez Johnson — with an added dose of Cade Otton — is a deep group of receiving threats to cover. That’s without even getting into what Irving and Gainwell can do as pass-catchers out of the backfield.

Is this Cincinnati defense deep enough in the secondary to handle some of the looks Robinson will be able to put together with this many weapons? Maybe not. The Bengals will hope that the answer is yes, but there’s a lot to prove for the back end of their defense come Sunday.

Key Players To Watch

Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

As Baker Mayfield and the passing game adjust to life without Mike Evans, it may be Chris Godwin Jr. who has to provide a steadying presence early on in 2026. He is coming off a great camp in which he looked as good as ever at 30 years old, and just two years ago, he got off to a roaring start as the driving force in Liam Coen’s offense. While he’s older now, he could be in for a similar role and similar production under Zac Robinson in 2026. Sunday may give us some insight into whether that’s the case and how key he’ll be in Evans’ absence this season.

The Bucs defense experienced a bit of an overhaul this offseason, and as intriguing as it’ll be to see how the unit’s rookies perform in their regular season debuts, it’s the play of veteran inside linebacker Alex Anzalone that could go a long way in impacting the outcome of this one. Anzalone, voted a captain in his first season with Tampa Bay, is the new leader in the middle of the Buccaneer defense, replacing franchise legend Lavonte David. Perhaps even more than his presence against the run, Anzalone will need to hold strong in pass coverage this Sunday.

As much attention as Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins rightfully get for the Bengals offense, don’t forget about Chase Brown. The 2023 fifth-round pick has been a key figure for Cincinnati over the last two seasons, rushing for 990 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024 before a 1,019-yard, six-touchdown campaign in 2025. He’s a threat in the passing game, too, with 123 catches for 797 yards and nine touchdowns over the last two years as well.

Bengals RB Chase Brown – Photo by: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bengals made a splash this offseason when they traded the No. 10 overall pick to the Giants for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. They then inked Lawrence to a one-year, $28 million contract extension. The hope for Cincinnati is that the three-time Pro Bowler helps fix the team’s porous run defense, plus the hope is that he’ll return to the nine-sack level he played at for New York in 2024. He’ll be one of the most important players on the field for the Bengals when he makes his debut Sunday afternoon, and how impactful he is from the jump could help set the tone for Al Golden’s defense.