3 Bold Bengals Predictions for Week 1 vs. Buccaneers

The Cincinnati Bengals face off with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1 on Sunday afternoon, as the kickoff of one of the most anticipated seasons in the Bengals’ history.

It’s a great matchup with tons of talent on both sides of the ball. This revamped Bengals defense will face a recently lucrative quarterback in Baker Mayfield, a talented wide receiver corps featuring Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin, and capable Swiss Army knife running back Bucky Irving.

Let’s make some bold predictions for Sunday’s game on both sides of the ball. Look for the Bengals’ new defensive additions to make their mark quickly, while scheme changes benefit running back Chase Brown.

1. Dexter Lawrence posts two sacks

Lawrence had maybe one of the best training camps of any Bengals player, earning Bengals play-by-play commentator Dan Hoard’s MVP of training camp honor. Now that he’s on a team that should contend, look for him to try to make an immediate impact using a mix of adrenaline and motivation to make some huge plays.

If he doesn’t get that second sack, Lawrence very well could provide the late pressure in the fourth quarter leading to a key interception to help the Bengals seal the win.

2. Bryan Cook posts eight tackles and an interception

There may not be a player more excited to play on Sunday than Bryan Cook, as he will be making his debut for his hometown team, which he grew up rooting for. He was honestly one of the biggest additions the Bengals made, rivaling Dexter Lawrence, not necessarily in talent, but in how important upgrading at the safety position was.

Geno Stone was one of the worst-performing safeties in the NFL last season, and he played a starting role for the Bengals. Going from Stone to Cook was the biggest upgrade Cincinnati made at any position in the offseason.

3. Chase Brown runs for over 100 yards and scores twice

The Bengals' offseason focus was developing the play-action and under-center game. That will let the offense get downfield in the running game, and Chase Brown will benefit from this shift in philosophy.

Brown was just short of 1,000 yards in 2024 and eclipsed 1,000 yards in 2025. Given that the Bengals will have a more capable running game and continuity on the offensive line, Brown should shoot for closer to 1,300-1,400 yards in 2026. Starting with a huge game against the Buccaneers will help him get there.