The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got a tough but not insurmountable task for their 2026 regular-season opener after the NFL announced it was sending them north to face the Cincinnati Bengals.
For the most important player on Tampa Bay’s roster, quarterback Baker Mayfield, the news of facing the Bengals must have been music to his ears.
“Most TD passes by opposing QBs at Cincinnati since 2018: Baker Mayfield 16 (5 games), Lamar Jackson 14 (6 games), Aaron Rodgers 6 (2 games), Jimmy Garoppolo 5 (2 games),” Fox Sports NFL reporter Greg Auman wrote on his official X account on Thursday after all 32 regular-season NFL schedules were released.
The Buccaneers have an incredibly forgiving run of games to open up the regular season. After going on the road to face the Bengals, they return home for 3 consecutive games and only face 1 playoff team in the 1st month, with the Green Bay Packers in Week 4. That could very well be a Packers team that doesn’t even have its best player when they play with NFL All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons, who is coming off a torn ACL suffered late in the 2025 regular season.
All 5 of Mayfield’s games against the Bengals came playing for the Cleveland Browns, who selected him No. 1 overall in the 2018 NFL draft.
The Buccaneers haven’t played the Bengals since the 2022 regular season — a 34-23 win by the Bengals in Tampa.
Bengals, Bucs Both Under Massive Pressure in 2026
The Bengals and Buccaneers both enter the 2026 regular season under a massive amount of pressure, including 2 head coaches on the hot seat with Cincinnati’s Zac Taylor and Tampa Bay’s Todd Bowles.
The Bengals haven’t made the playoffs since 2022, when they advanced to a 2nd consecutive AFC Championship Game, and this could be $275 million quarterback Joe Burrow’s last year in Cincinnati if the team can’t turn the ship around.
The Buccaneers started the 2025 season 5-1 before stumbling to an 8-9 finish and missing the playoffs for the 1st time since the 2019 regular season. While Mayfield can’t be tagged for all of that misery, he’s responsible for his fair share.
The overriding concern with Mayfield in 2026 will be how it figures into his future in Tampa Bay. The 2-time Pro Bowler is in the final season of the 3-year, $100 million contract he signed before the 2023 season and is likely headed toward a massive payday following this season — either in Tampa Bay or somewhere else.
Mayfield Subject of Upcoming Netflix Docuseries
Buccaneers fans got an odd bit of news recently when it was revealed Mayfield would be 1 of 4 players featured in the upcoming 3rd season of the popular Netflix docuseries “QUARTERBACK” alongside Bengals backup quarterback Joe Flacco, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, and Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward.
The new series will premiere on July 14 and follows each of the 4 quarterbacks through the 2025 season. It was a year in which none of the 4 played for teams with winning records or made the playoffs.
The 2nd season featured Burrow, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff, and former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, who was also featured in the 1st season but tore his Achilles tendon in Week 8 during filming of the 2nd season.
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