The Cincinnati Bengals will open the 2026 regular season on Sept. 13 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Paycor Stadium, continuing the franchise’s “Open in Orange” tradition for a third straight year. Cincinnati’s schedule also sets up favorably early, with seven consecutive 1 pm kickoffs before its first primetime game in Week 10 against AFC rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

After missing the playoffs in three straight seasons, the Bengals enter 2026 facing pressure to return to contention. But one game on the schedule has already drawn significant attention inside the organization: a Week 14 home matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 13.

Speaking during OTAs, Joe Burrow made it clear he expects the game to matter beyond the regular season.

“Hopefully we’ll both be in different spots than we were last year,” Burrow said. “We’ll have a good team. They’ll have a good team. That will be leading up to the playoffs, and hopefully we get two shots at them.”

While both teams face each other in the regular-season matchup, Burrow openly acknowledged he’d love to meet Kansas City again in the postseason.

The Bengals and Chiefs have become one of the AFC’s defining rivalries during the Burrow era. Since 2021, the teams have faced each other three times in the playoffs, including Cincinnati’s victory in the AFC Championship Game following the 2021 season. Both teams met again in the AFC Championship Game in 2022, with the Chiefs coming out on top en route to winning the Super Bowl.

Burrow holds a 3-2 record against Patrick Mahomes (regular season plus playoffs), including two wins at Paycor Stadium.

Last season, however, both teams were dealing with major injuries by the time they met. Burrow missed time with a turf toe injury, while Mahomes suffered a torn ACL that disrupted Kansas City’s season. Both teams ended the season in similar fashion: they both finished with a 6-11 record, ranked third in their respective divisions and ultimately missed the playoffs.

But that is likely to change in 2026. Mahomes is expected to return healthy, while Cincinnati reshaped its defense during the offseason. The Bengals added veterans Jonathan Allen, Boye Mafe and Bryan Cook in free agency before trading for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.

After facing the Chiefs, Cincinnati closes the season with games against the Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns.