The Bengals also have a new-look defense headlined by the acquisition of Dexter Lawrence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But history is on the Bucs\u2019 side for this one. The Bengals are 2-4 in Week 1 games since Burrow became the starting quarterback in 2020. They\u2019ve notoriously gotten off to slow starts.<\/p>\n
The Bucs on the other hand are a perfect 4-0 in Week 1 since Bowles became the head coach. Mayfield is 6-2 against the Bengals in his career, and those trends continue here.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Week 2: vs Cleveland Browns: W (2-0)<\/p>\n
Baker Mayfield<\/a> gets a chance for revenge in the home opener, facing the Browns for the first time as a Buccaneer.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n The Bucs are simply the better team here, and they will be able to handle business \u2014 as long as they don\u2019t allow Myles Garrett to take over the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n Week 3: vs Minnesota Vikings: L (2-1)<\/p>\n The Bucs haven\u2019t started 3-0 since 2005, and that trend continues.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Vikings have dangerous weapons on offense and quietly boast one of the NFL\u2019s best defensive units. Their passing defense ranked No. 2 last season, and they were one of eight teams to allow less than 20 points per game.<\/p>\n If Minnesota gets good play out of the quarterback position, this will be a hard game for the Bucs to win.\u00a0<\/p>\n Week 4: vs Green Bay Packers: W (3-1)<\/p>\n The Bucs bounce back with a win here against a contending Packers team.\u00a0<\/p>\n Green Bay is one of the best teams in the NFC, but there\u2019s a chance they\u2019ll be without Micah Parsons as rumors swirl that he could be placed on the PUP list and miss the first four games of the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Bucs would have a major advantage taking on a cold-weather team in the Tampa heat without their best player.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Week 5: @ Dallas Cowboys: L (3-2)<\/p>\n The Cowboys have one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL, and the Tampa defense better come ready to play or they\u2019ll be embarrassed in front of the national audience.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Bucs have the pieces to keep up with Dallas, and this game is a true toss-up. Ultimately, Tampa Bay\u2019s struggles in prime time in which they\u2019ve gone 1-9 during the Baker Mayfield era tip the scale in favor of the Cowboys.\u00a0<\/p>\n Week 6: vs Pittsburgh Steelers: W (4-2)<\/p>\n The Steelers are in a similar spot to the Bucs over the last few years as both teams have hovered around the .500 mark and been consistent playoff teams while failing to make deep postseason runs.<\/p>\n Both teams are in a purgatory of sorts, and hoping to finally break through as legitimate Super Bowl contenders in 2026. Something has to give here as they go head-to-head, and the Bucs come away with the home victory.\u00a0<\/p>\n Week 7: @ Carolina Panthers: L (4-3)<\/p>\n The Bucs would love to get revenge here after the Panthers stole the NFC South crown last season. But the Panthers got much better this offseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n They had one of the best free agencies by upgrading the offensive line and signing Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd to bolster the defense. They followed that up with a great draft class, and they look to be a real threat.\u00a0<\/p>\n Heading into Carolina will be a tough test, and the opportunity for revenge will have to wait.\u00a0<\/p>\n Week 8: vs Atlanta Falcons: W (5-3)<\/p>\n Coming off a divisional loss just a week prior, the Bucs bounce back with a big win over the Falcons.\u00a0<\/p>\n Atlanta embarrassed the Bucs in Tampa last season, overcoming a 28-14 deficit in the fourth quarter and leaving with a 29-28 win. It was one of the worst losses, frankly ever, for the Bucs, but this time around they\u2019ll defend their home turf.\u00a0<\/p>\n Week 9: @ Chicago Bears: L (5-4)<\/p>\n The Bears with offensive mastermind Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams will be a nightmare to deal with \u2014 not to mention having to face them on the road at Soldier Field.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tampa Bay\u2019s prime-time woes<\/a> certainly don\u2019t help their case, and the Bucs leave with another frustrating loss.\u00a0<\/p>\n Week 10: Bye Week<\/p>\n The Bucs head into the bye week at 5-4. Having a winning record is a positive, but the toughest stretch of the season is on the horizon.\u00a0<\/p>\n Week 11: @ Detroit Lions: L (5-5)<\/p>\n The Lions humiliated the Bucs 24-9 last season, and that was without their entire starting secondary.\u00a0<\/p>\n Detroit has such a high-octane offense and a physical defense that it\u2019s hard for anybody to walk into Ford Field and leave with a victory. The Lions are simply the better team here, and the Bucs can\u2019t overcome that.\u00a0<\/p>\n Week 12: vs Carolina Panthers: W (6-5)<\/p>\n The Buccaneers finally get their revenge over the Panthers, and they notch an elusive prime time win in the process.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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