The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to kick off their 2026 season against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday in hopes of winning yet another Week 1 game.The Bucs have won their last five Week 1 matchups and are looking to win a sixth in a row, and they'll have a tough matchup. The Bucs will face a high-flying Bengals offense and will have to contend with elite NFL players like quarterback Joe Burrow and wideouts Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The Bucs are on the road, and as a result, Cincinnati is favored — the Bengals are 3.5-point favorites over Tampa Bay, per DraftKings. Despite the task of contending with those premier pieces, the Bucs have the means come out on top and start off the season with a victory. Here are three reasons why the Bucs could upset the Bengals in Week 1: The Bengals Historically Start Out SlowCincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor walks down the sideline in the first quarter of the NFL Preseason | USA TODAY Network via Reuters ConnectThe Bengals do not fare well in Week 1. Zac Taylor has been Cincinnati's head coach since 2019, and since that time, he's 2-5 in Week 1.The games the Bengals have won under Taylor have also been close affairs. The Bengals won their first Week 1 game under him in 2021, when they beat the Minnesota Vikings 27-24 in overtime. In 2025, their second Week 1 win under Taylor, they beat the Browns 17-16.The Bengals start out slow. Conversely, the Buccaneers have won all of their Week 1 games under Todd Bowles, and that could significantly swing the game in their favor. Every year is a new year, but the Bucs have the historical advantage. Tampa Bay's New-Look Defensive Front Can Prove ItselfTampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Rueben Bain Jr. (3) participates in training camp at AdventHealth Training Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers spent a good portion of their offseason revamping their defensive front. They drafted edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. with the No. 15 pick in the first round and signed EDGE Al-Quadin Muhammad and defensive tackles A'Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches in free agency to bring more pressure to the quarterback. If there's any offensive line to help serve as a proof of concept for this new defensive front, it's the Bengals' offensive line.The Bengals were a bottom-five offensive line unit in the league in many respects during 2025, and they retain their entire group of starters from last season and are expected to be a bottom-five unit once again by outlets like ESPN. It's the weakest part of an otherwise excellent offense, and the Bucs can take advantage in a big way. Bain and fellow EDGE Yaya Diaby could feast on this offensive line, and DT Calijah Kancey could try to find his form again after missing most of 2025. Disrupting Joe Burrow would throw the Bengals off-kilter almost immediately, and this new Bucs defensive front certainly thinks it's up to the task in Week 1. Baker Mayfield Plays Very Well in Cincinnati (And Against the Bengals)Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) warms up before a game against the New York Giants | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectWe went into this a little bit in a recent article, but quarterback Baker Mayfield plays very well when he plays in Cincinnati. When Mayfield has played the Bengals on the road during his career with both the Cleveland Browns and the Carolina Panthers, he's thrown 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions.Mayfield is also 6-2 against the Bengals over his career and has thrown for 1,902 yards, 21 touchdowns and 7 interceptions against Cincinnati. Every year is a different team, but there's something about the Bengals when it comes to Mayfield's play. He has even more reason to play with confidence after the Buccaneers gave him a three-year extension worth $165 million and $110 million guaranteed. On Sunday, Mayfield has a chance to prove to general manager Jason Licht that he made the right decision against a team he has historically played very well against during his career. Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow