The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won't have the advantage everywhere when they open the season against the Cincinnati Bengals. Joe Burrow throwing to Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins gives Cincinnati an obvious edge in a few areas, but Tampa Bay has some matchups of its own that could help swing the game in their favor.
Looking at the current depth charts, Tampa Bay's biggest opportunity comes in the trenches. The Bucs also have Bucky Irving back healthy and an offensive line that finally enters a season with its preferred starting five intact.
Bucs defensive front vs. Bengals offensive line
If Tampa Bay's revamped pass rush is going to make a difference this season, Week 1 gives it an immediate opportunity to show it.
Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey give the Bucs plenty to work with on the interior, while
Yaya Diaby and first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr. headline the edge group. A'Shawn Robinson, Al-Quadin Muhammad and David Walker add more options to a front that Tampa Bay spent the offseason rebuilding.
Cincinnati will counter with Orlando Brown Jr., Dylan Fairchild, Ted Karras, Dalton Risner and Amarius Mims across its starting offensive line. Mims against Bain is especially interesting, but Tampa Bay's advantage comes from its ability to attack the entire group rather than relying on one pass rusher.
The Bucs don't necessarily need sacks on every drive for this matchup to matter. For a secondary tasked with dealing with Chase and Higgins, making Burrow move off his spot and disrupting the timing of Cincinnati's passing game would make life much easier. Bain was limited Wednesday because of a shoulder injury, so his status is worth following before Sunday.
Bucky Irving vs. Bengals linebackers
Tampa Bay should also have opportunities to put Bucky Irving in favorable situations against Cincinnati's young linebackers.
Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter took on significant roles as rookies last season and return in the middle of Cincinnati's defense. Irving gives Tampa Bay a player who can challenge them in more than one way, whether that's getting through the first level as a runner or forcing a linebacker to deal with him in space.
Irving's 2025 season was affected by shoulder and ankle injuries after he produced 1,514 yards from scrimmage as a rookie. He enters this season healthy, and getting him involved early could give Tampa Bay a way to control the game without asking Baker Mayfield to trade throws with Burrow for four quarters.
Bucs offensive line vs. Bengals defensive front
This isn't as clear-cut as Tampa Bay's defensive-line advantage. Cincinnati added serious talent to its defensive front, including Dexter Lawrence, so the Bucs' offensive line will have its hands full.
What Tampa Bay does have is its preferred starting five back together. Tampa's line features Tristan Wirfs, Ben Bredeson, Graham Barton, Cody Mauch and Luke Goedeke from left to right, the same combination the Bucs wanted to build around before injuries forced many changes last season.
Lawrence against Barton and Tampa Bay's interior will be one of the toughest assignments of the afternoon. Still, having Wirfs and Goedeke on the edges with Barton back at center gives the Bucs a group capable of handling that challenge. Tampa Bay's ability to protect Mayfield while creating room for Irving could determine whether the offense can stay balanced instead of getting dragged into Cincinnati's preferred type of game.
The Bengals have enough talent that Tampa Bay isn't walking into Week 1 with a long list of obvious advantages. The Bucs' best path starts up front, particularly on defense. If Vea, Kancey, Diaby, and Bain can affect Burrow without Todd Bowles having to manufacture pressure on every passing down, Tampa Bay has a much better chance of keeping Cincinnati's biggest strength from taking over the game.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: What positions do the Bucs have the biggest edge at in Week 1
