The first month of the Cincinnati Bengals’ 2026 season feels built to answer a very specific problem: those slow starts that have haunted them for years.
Last season, Cincinnati opened 2-0 before everything unraveled into a 6-11 finish, and Joe Burrow was hit with yet another serious injury in that stretch. This time around, the setup looks far different.
The defense is improved, Burrow is healthy, the schedule is easier, and the Super Bowl talk around Bengals HQ is real. The first five games before the Week 6 bye now carry the feel of a chance to finally flip the script.
That matters, because the Bengals have been stuck in the mud early for a while. Over Weeks 1 through 5 the last four years, they’ve never posted a winning record and have gone 7-13 overall.
The offense has started sluggishly. The defense has turned in too many poor outings.
And Zac Taylor hasn’t had his team ready to roll. All signs point to that changing in 2026.
Week 1 brings Tampa Bay to town, and this one isn’t being treated like a soft landing. Baker Mayfield has a history of giving Cincinnati problems dating back to his AFC North days in Cleveland, and the Buccaneers also bring a backfield pairing in Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell that could test Bengals linebackers Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter in coverage.
The defense may need a little time to settle in, but the offense is expected to hit the ground running with Burrow healthy, all starters back, and training camp breakout Dohnte Meyers adding juice as both a receiver and return man. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins should stress Tampa Bay’s corners all game, and Burrow is projected to open with a sharp, aggressive performance.
Prediction: Bengals 27, Bucs 23
The tougher assignment comes in Week 2 at Houston. The Texans are built to make quarterbacks prove they can execute, and Burrow is one of the best in football at diagnosing defenses.
Still, Houston’s front and secondary are no joke. Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter form the best EDGE tandem in the NFL, Derek Stingley Jr. is a unicorn CB1, and Jalen Pitre gives them a strong nickel presence.
The Texans leaned heavily on Cover 3 and Cover 1 during their late-season surge last year, and they have the personnel to keep doing it. With Cincinnati’s under center-heavy run game still coming together, red-zone drives could stall and turn into field goals instead of touchdowns.
That’s enough to tip a road loss.
Prediction: Texans 20, Bengals 16
Week 3 at Pittsburgh is where the Bengals are expected to snap things back into place. Joe Flacco carved up the Steelers for 342 yards and three touchdowns in their first meeting last season when he was healthy, and Burrow is seen as a far more dangerous problem for that secondary.
Pittsburgh may come into the game with some early AFC North positioning after facing the Cooper Rush-led Falcons in Week 1 and then traveling to New England to face what could be a regressing Patriots team. But Week 3 is viewed as the point where the Steelers’ expensive defense and aging Aaron Rodgers get a reality check.
Prediction: Bengals 38, Steelers 13
Week 4 sends Jacksonville to Cincinnati, and there’s a clear reason this one is being treated as another Bengals win. Cincinnati beat the Jaguars at home last year when Burrow went down and Jake Browning had to take over, and there’s not much here to suggest a different outcome.
Jacksonville did win 13 games in 2025, but outside of guard Emmanuel Pregnon, there aren’t many new additions expected to make a major impact. The loss of All-Pro linebacker Devin Lloyd from the middle of the defense looms large.
Liam Coen is respected as a play-caller, Bhayshul Tuten is described as a terrifyingly explosive back, and Trevor Lawrence has a strong group of pass-catchers, but the Jaguars’ defense is not trusted with a new linebacker group and a thin defensive line.
Prediction: Bengals 34, Jaguars 24
Week 5 at Miami could be the sneaky one. Miami is seen as a team that might surprise people, with Malik Willis bringing rare talent, a better offensive line than many realize, and a potentially dangerous rushing pairing with De’Von Achane.
Jeff Hafley is also expected to help the defense. But the margin for error remains tiny; one injury anywhere except linebacker could blow the whole thing up.
Even if the Dolphins are healthy by the time they host Cincinnati, the Bengals’ edge in star power still looks decisive. The Chase-Higgins combination against JuJu Brents and Jason Marshall Jr. is a matchup that could cause real problems, and Mike Gesicki working in the slot opposite Dolphins first-rounder Chris Johnson adds another layer of stress for the secondary.
Cincinnati’s defensive line depth is also expected to wear Miami down over four quarters.
Prediction: Bengals win, with the first half tighter than expected.
In Other News...
Joe Burrow Incident Keeps Bengals Opener Under The NFL Spotlight
Joe Burrow and the Bengals got the kind of start they wanted in 2026, opening the season at home with a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Cincinnati held its lead through the game and came away with the victory, but one sequence involving Burrow drew extra attention well beyond the final score.
Tampa Bay safety Tykee Smith was flagged for a late hit on Burrow, and the NFL is now reviewing the play for possible fines. It is the sort of postgame wrinkle that can linger after an opener, especially when the league is still sorting out how it wants to handle contact on a quarterback who matters as much to his team as Burrow does to the Bengals. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Rookie Gave Week 1 A Feel-Good Moment Fans Loved
Landon Robinson brought a different kind of presence to his first NFL game Sunday, showing up at the stadium in his Navy Service Dress Blue uniform before the Bengals faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The rookie defensive lineman, a seventh-round pick out of Navy, made Cincinnatis 53-man roster as interior depth and was inactive for Week 1, but his arrival still stood out to fans who got a glimpse of the former service academy player beginning his pro career.
Robinsons path already has a local angle, too, since he is from Copley, Ohio, and he arrived in Cincinnati with a decorated college rsum that included being named the 2025 AAC Defensive Player of the Year. Even without taking the field on opening weekend, he gave the Bengals a feel-good moment that fit the kind of story fans tend to remember early in a season, especially with a rookie whose journey has already been anything but ordinary. [Read more 🡒]
Baker Mayfield Just Handed Bengals Fans A Brutal Reminder
Baker Mayfield gave Cincinnati plenty to enjoy in Week 1, but not in the way a Buccaneers quarterback normally would. Tampa Bays opener turned on a series of costly mistakes, with Mayfield coughing up the ball three times and helping set the tone for a Bengals win that never really felt out of reach once the turnovers started piling up.
For Bengals fans, it was a familiar kind of relief after a summer of watching another teams big contract and big expectations attached to Mayfield in Tampa. His new three-year deal keeps him in place for the long haul, but Sunday was a reminder that even with that kind of security, the margin for error is still razor thin when the ball keeps coming loose. [Read more 🡒]