Bengals
Tampa Bay opens its 2026 season on the road at the Cincinnati Bengals. Kickoff at Paycor Stadium is Sunday, September 13, at 1:00 PM ET, which works out to 18:00 BST for fans in the UK and 19:00 CEST across most of the rest of Europe. The Buccaneers are chasing a sixth straight season-opening win, part of a run that has become one of the more reliable things about this team even as everything else around it changes year to year.
How to watch from Europe
The game airs on FOX in the United States. For where and how to actually watch it from Europe, including streaming options, see BucsWorld's dedicated how to watch guide rather than a one-off list here, since broadcast rights can shift week to week.
Bowles has never lost an opener
Whatever else is uncertain about this Buccaneers team, head coach Todd Bowles has a genuinely strong track record on opening day. Since taking over in 2022, he is 4-0 in Week 1: a 19-3 win at Dallas in 2022 in Tom Brady's final season, a 20-17 comeback win over Minnesota in 2023 in Baker Mayfield's Tampa Bay debut, a 37-20 rout of Washington in 2024, and a 23-20 win at Atlanta in 2025. It is not proof of anything about this specific matchup, but it is a real pattern worth knowing before Sunday.
Mayfield without the deal he wanted
Mayfield enters his ninth NFL season, and his fourth in Tampa Bay, without the contract extension he was hoping for. Reporting has described him as feeling disrespected and undervalued by the club after the sides did not reach a new deal over the offseason. Asked about Mayfield's comments on the situation, Bowles kept it brief: "I didn't have a reaction. You know, he had a few things to say. He said it. We're all about ball today, and we moved on."
That has not stopped Bowles from praising Mayfield's standing in the locker room heading into the opener. "He's great to be around. He's an outstanding leader. He's the pulse of our offense," Bowles said this week, adding that Mayfield moves easily between the offensive and defensive sides of the building. "I don't think we can go far without him." The contract question is unresolved, but the coach's public message is that it has not affected how the team operates around its quarterback.
The Bengals side
Cincinnati finished 2025 at 6-11, third in the AFC North and out of the playoffs for a third straight year, its worst season since 2020. Head coach Zac Taylor was retained for 2026 anyway, in what several outlets are already framing as a make or break year for him.
The pieces around quarterback Joe Burrow have not changed much at the skill positions. Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins remain the top two receivers, and Chase Brown returns at running back. Both Chase (a hyperextended knee) and Higgins (a heel issue) picked up minor injuries in practice this week, but both are expected to be available for the opener. Backup quarterback Joe Flacco, reacquired from Cleveland, is back for what will be his 19th NFL season if he is needed.
The bigger changes are on defense, where Cincinnati has overhauled its front. The team traded its 2026 first-round pick to the Giants for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and signed edge rusher Boye Mafe and safety Bryan Cook in free agency, a notable outlay after Cincinnati declined to re-sign longtime pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, who left as a free agent. It is a defense trying to reinvent itself around new names rather than its recent identity.
Tampa Bay's own receiver questions
The Buccaneers have their own health situation to track at receiver, with Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan both dealing with injuries heading into the opener. For the full picture on who is trending toward playing Sunday, see BucsWorld's injury report rather than a repeat of it here. How that resolves will matter for how much Zac Robinson leans on his new offense early against a defense that has added size and speed up front.
The history between these teams
Tampa Bay leads the all-time series 7-6, but the trend line has not favored the Buccaneers lately. Cincinnati has won the last three meetings, in 2014, 2018, and 2022, the most recent a 34-23 Bengals win at Raymond James Stadium. The two teams have never met in the playoffs. It is a series with real age to it, going back to 1976, but not one that offers Tampa Bay much recent comfort.
The line
Sportsbooks have installed Cincinnati as a 3.5-point home favorite, with the total set at 50.5 points, according to both SI.com and RotoWire. That makes this one of the closer lines of Week 1, reflecting a Bengals team many expect to bounce back after a rough 2025, against a Buccaneers team still working out its own new-look offense on the road.
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