Buccaneers vs Bengals Prediction: Picks, Odds & Week 1 Preview

Our Buccaneers vs Bengals prediction favors Cincinnati. Tampa Bay travels to Paycor Stadium on Sunday, September 13, with FOX on the 1:00 PM ET kickoff. Both teams start the new NFL season here. Squawka Signal’s live numbers, and the value read, sit in the block underneath. Signal rates the whole Week 1 card the same way.

This should be the highest-scoring game of the weekend, and the reason is defensive rather than offensive. Cincinnati conceded 492 points last season, more than any team playing this round, despite Joe Burrow throwing 36 touchdowns.

The Buccaneers were not much better. They allowed opponents to convert 69.8% of red-zone trips, the weakest figure in this fixture by a distance, and finished 8-9. Consequently both sides arrive knowing they can score and knowing they will concede.

Week 1 · Editorial pick

Buccaneers vs Bengals: our editor’s prop

One editorial call to sit alongside the live Signal numbers above.

AT

Our prop

Player propJa’Marr Chase over 75 receiving yardsChase managed 1,412 receiving yards in 2025. Meanwhile Tampa Bay conceded a 97.5 opponent passer rating and 69.8% in the red zone.

★★★★★confidence

An editorial call, not a Signal model output. 21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Buccaneers vs Bengals: 2025 season form

Tampa Bay finished 8-9 and Cincinnati 6-11, so the records favor the visitors. The scoring does not: Cincinnati put up 414 points to Tampa Bay’s 380.

The defensive rows explain the total. Cincinnati conceded 492 points and allowed 5.22 yards a carry; Tampa Bay allowed 69.8% of red-zone trips to be converted. Neither opponent passer rating, at 99.4 and 97.5, gives much comfort either.

Buccaneers vs Bengals injury report and team news

The official Week 1 game-status report is not out yet, because teams file their first designations in the days before kickoff. This section updates as soon as the Out, Doubtful and Questionable tags appear. For now, both sides expect their first-choice quarterbacks.

Baker Mayfield starts for Tampa Bay, though the receiving group has changed shape after Mike Evans’s move to San Francisco. Chris Godwin Jr. and Emeka Egbuka now lead it, meanwhile, with Bucky Irving in the backfield and Cade Otton at tight end.

Joe Burrow starts for Cincinnati, with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins still the primary pair. Chase Brown leads the run game after 1,019 rushing yards, and Mike Gesicki plays tight end.

The matchup that decides it: two defenses that could not stop anyone

Cincinnati conceded 492 points in 2025. No team playing this weekend allowed more, and they managed it while scoring 414 themselves, which is the signature of a side that wins nothing quietly.

Tampa Bay’s problem is more specific. Opponents converted 69.8% of red-zone trips against them, the worst rate in this fixture, and their defense recorded 37 sacks without generating much disruption. Therefore Burrow should get clean looks close to the goal line.

The counterweight is Cincinnati’s run defense, which allowed 5.22 yards a carry. Bucky Irving is well placed to exploit that, and Tampa Bay’s 1,947 rushing yards suggest they will try. Still, in a game priced at 50.2 points, whoever punts first tends to lose.

Players to watch

• Joe Burrow (CIN, QB): 36 touchdown passes and 4,005 yards in 2025, against a defense allowing 69.8% in the red zone.
• Ja’Marr Chase (CIN, WR): 1,412 receiving yards last season, fourth in the league.
• Tee Higgins (CIN, WR): The second target that makes Cincinnati’s passing game difficult to double.
• Chris Godwin Jr. (TB, WR): Now Tampa Bay’s senior receiver following Mike Evans’s departure to San Francisco.
• Bucky Irving (TB, RB): Faces a Cincinnati run defense that conceded 5.22 yards a carry in 2025.

How to watch Buccaneers vs Bengals

The game kicks off at 1:00 PM ET on Sunday, September 13 at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. FOX has the broadcast, meanwhile, with NFL+ carrying it on mobile. Because this is an early Sunday window, coverage is regional, so check your local listings.

Buccaneers vs Bengals prediction and score projection

Our Buccaneers vs Bengals prediction is a narrow Cincinnati win in a game that should be worth watching for reasons neither coach will enjoy. Burrow is the best quarterback on the field and Tampa Bay’s red-zone defense is the weakest unit in the fixture.

The Buccaneers have a real case, though. They finished with the better record, they run the ball well, and Cincinnati conceded more points than anyone else playing this weekend. The market has priced the Bengals at 65.5% and -3.79, beyond Signal’s -3.0.

So we will take the Bengals to win, 27-24. Indeed, Burrow is the best quarterback on the field, and Tampa Bay’s red-zone defense was moreover the weakest unit in the fixture. Which side carries the value, though, is a separate question from who wins, and the live read on that sits in the Signal block.

Signal rates every game on our NFL picks page. Meanwhile the title race is priced through Super Bowl LXI odds, with both conferences on the NFC and AFC Championship pages. Finally, player markets sit with our NFL player props coverage, and kickoff is confirmed on NFL.com.

Buccaneers vs Bengals FAQ

21+ | Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER | Signal probabilities and odds approximate at time of writing and subject to change