The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are heading into their Sept. 13 road date with the Cincinnati Bengals carrying something real: a strong Week 1 track record under Todd Bowles. That matters, because opening weekend has a way of shaping seasons. Over the last 12 years, only 25.6% of teams that lose in Week 1 have gone on to reach the playoffs, according to RotoWire.
Bowles has been money in the opener since taking over in Tampa Bay. He’s 4-0 in Week 1 as Buccaneers head coach, with two wins by 15 points or more in 2022 and 2024, and two others by exactly three points in 2023 and 2025.
Stretch that out to his full head-coaching run, including four seasons with the Jets, and Bowles is 6-2 in Week 1. His Jets teams won their home openers in 2015 and 2018, but fell in 2016 and 2017.
The Buccaneers’ recent history in home openers has also held up well. The last time Tampa Bay lost a home opener before Bowles’ run came in 2020, during the franchise’s Super Bowl season, when it fell to the New Orleans Saints.
Cincinnati comes in with a much shakier opening-week résumé. Since becoming Bengals head coach in 2019, Zac Taylor is 2-5 in Week 1.
His only wins in that stretch came against the Minnesota Vikings in 2021 and the Cleveland Browns last year. That’s been part of a broader pattern of slow starts under Taylor, and if it shows up again, Tampa Bay will be ready to pounce.
There’s no clear home-or-road edge baked into Taylor’s Week 1 results either, since one of those wins came at home and the other came on the road. Still, the Bengals will have the home field next Sunday, while the Bucs have been exactly average away from home under Bowles at 17-17.
None of that means Tampa Bay can take Cincinnati lightly. The Bengals are still a dangerous opponent. But on paper, the numbers give the Buccaneers a reason to feel good as they prepare for Week 1.
In Other News...
Buccaneers Future Just Pulled A Familiar Name Into The Bowles Debate
Todd Bowles future in Tampa Bay is going to shape plenty of offseason discussion, but the early speculation is already reaching beyond the current staff. A Bleacher Report piece floated Mike Tomlin as a possible Buccaneers candidate in 2027 if Bowles is no longer on the sideline, and the idea is easy enough to see why it has legs. Tomlin knows the organization from his time here as a defensive backs coach, and he has stayed visible while working in sports broadcasting.
For the Buccaneers, the bigger question is less about one name than about where the franchise is headed by then. If Bowles keeps the team winning, the conversation shifts. If the results change or retirement becomes part of the picture, the search could quickly turn toward an established coach with Tampa Bay ties, which is why Tomlins name is already in the mix even this far out. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Get Encouraging Week 1 Injury News Before Bengals Opener
The Buccaneers got their first injury report of the 2026 season this week, and the early read before the opener against Cincinnati is mostly encouraging. Sean Tucker is still working back from a hamstring injury and is listed as a game-time decision, while Emeka Egbuka, who had been dealing with a sprained toe, was a full participant in practice and looks on track for Sunday.
Jalen McMillan was limited with a knee injury, but the signs around him have been positive, and outside linebacker Rueben Bain also practiced in a limited role because of a minor AC joint sprain. Even with a few players still being managed carefully, the Bucs appear to have avoided the kind of early-season injury pileup that can complicate a Week 1 game plan. [Read more 🡒]
Todd Bowles Enters A Buccaneers Season With No More Excuses
Todd Bowles heads into the Buccaneers 2026 offseason with the kind of pressure that comes with stability, not chaos. Baker Mayfield is under contract, key players are healthy again, and the roster looks positioned to justify bigger expectations than the ones Tampa Bay has been living with in recent years. That changes the conversation around Bowles, because the usual injury excuses and quarterback uncertainty are no longer there to soften the edges.
The Athletic recently put Bowles third on its list of NFL head coaches most likely to be fired in 2026, a reminder that the league is always quick to turn up the heat when results lag behind talent. For Bowles, the next stretch is less about explaining away setbacks and more about proving the Buccaneers can take the next step with the pieces already in place. The margin for patience is shrinking, and the season ahead may say plenty about how long that leash really is. [Read more 🡒]