The Cincinnati Bengals will kick off their 2026 season Sunday when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It will be one of the best games of the opening week, as the Bucs are favored to win the NFC South, while the Bengals are expected to contend with the Baltimore Ravens atop the AFC North.
If the Bengals are going to start 1-0, here are four matchups they need to win.
Amarius Mims vs. Rueben Bain Jr.
Bain was the Buccaneers’ first-round pick during the 2026 NFL Draft. He surprisingly fell to the 15th overall pick and was not pleased.
He will be playing with a chip on his shoulder when the Buccaneers face off against Cincinnati on Sunday.
For the Bengals, Amarius Mims is looking to continue ascending toward an All-Pro season. There are just not many offensive linemen with his combination of size and athleticism. The expectation is that Bain and Mims will be matched up for much of the afternoon this week. This could be a classic battle of the unstoppable force versus the immovable object.
If Mims can keep Bain from wrecking shop, the Bengals receivers should be able to feast on the Buccaneers secondary.
Dexter Lawrence vs. Bucs Interior O-Line
The Buccaneers interior offensive line consists of Ben Bredeson, Graham Barton, and Cody Mauch. All three players will have their hands full with the Bengals’ massive defensive tackle addition in Dexter Lawrence. Lawrence commands a ton of attention, and that will continue on Sunday.
If Lawrence can still create havoc on the interior with all of that attention, it is going to open up the rest of the Bengals’ revamped defensive line to make plays. Lawrence should help free up his fellow defensive linemen, but also allow for the young second-year linebackers to have opportunities to make splash plays against the run near the line of scrimmage.
Chase Brown vs. Alex Anzalone and Josiah Trotter
Chase Brown will be used in a variety of ways to get the ball in his hands. The Bengals would love to find ways to get him matched up against Trotter out in space as a receiver. Trotter was the Buccaneers’ second-round draft pick this past season. He is a classic downhill thumper against the running game, but was susceptible to giving up big plays against him in the passing game at Missouri.
If the Bengals can exploit that matchup this week, Chase Brown should have a massive week one game. The Buccaneers also added veteran Alex Anzalone this offseason at linebacker. Anzalone had previously played for the Detroit Lions.
Orlando Brown Jr. vs. Yaya Diaby
With Mims drawing the matchup with Bain a lot on the right side of the Bengals’ offensive line, it will be Orlando Brown Jr. going up against Diaby on Joe Burrow’s blindside. Diaby had seven sacks during the 2025 season. I would expect the Bengals to employ a lot of Drew Sample and Erick All over on that side of the field during this game.
Brown Jr. was credited with allowing 46 pressures, nine sacks, and 10 recorded penalties during the 2025 season. He has to play better this season in order for the Bengals to achieve the goals they want to achieve this season. That needs to start on Sunday against Diaby and the Buccaneers’ defense.
