The Bucs will open the 2026 regular season in Cincinnati against quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals.
The Bucs will open the 2026 regular season in Cincinnati against quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals.
Rueben Bain Jr. made a big first impression on the Bucs during their rookie minicamp, demonstrating the kind of speed and power they hoped to see from their first-round pick from Miami.
“He understands tempo, he understands pace, he understands how to play hard,” head coach Todd Bowles said. “He understands to pay homage to the guys who came before him that were down there (at Miami) and he tries to pattern his game like that. So he’s a very smart player, not just a tough player. He understands what he’s walking into and what he wants to be.”
But the welcome mat won’t stay out for long. Bain and the Bucs’ rebuilt defense won’t have time to settle in. Tampa Bay faces a gauntlet of quarterbacks that includes Joe Burrow, Kyler Murray, Jordan Love and Dak Prescott in the first month alone.
After opening at Cincinnati against Burrow and the Bengals on Sept. 13, three of the Bucs’ next four games are at Raymond James Stadium.
The Bengals have been notoriously slow starters the past three seasons, going 1-3, 1-3, and 2-2. Cincinnati also upgraded its defense in the offseason by adding Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and Vikings free agent defensive lineman Jonathan Allen.
It’s the fourth straight year the Bucs begin the regular season on the road, this time because of a Bruno Mars concert scheduled for that weekend at Raymond James Stadium.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield has the most touchdown passes against the Bengals (16) since 2018, which includes a stretch of five games.
Of course, Mayfield is familiar with the Bucs’ opponent in the home opener Week 2 as he will face the Browns organization that made him the No. 1 overall pick.
The Bucs then host the Vikings on Sept. 27 and Packers on Oct. 4 before playing at Dallas just four days later on Thursday Night Football, their first of three primetime games including one at RayJay on Nov. 30 against the Panthers.
Regardless of how the Bucs fare the first two months of the season, they will have a chance to make up ground in the NFC South.
Tampa Bay does not play a division opponent until Week 7 when the Bucs go to Carolina on Oct. 25..
The bye week comes very late in Week 10 before resuming play with a trip to Detroit to face the Lions, who will be coming off a long voyage to Munich, Germany, to play the Patriots Nov. 15.
Starting with the Monday Night Football game against the Panthers at RayJay on Nov. 30, the Bucs play four NFC South teams in the final seven weeks of the regular season.
The exception is hosting Justin Herbert and the Chargers on Dec. 6, then traveling to Baltimore the next week to face the Ravens and Lamar Jackson before hosting Matt Stafford and the Rams in Week 17.
The Bucs also unveiled their preseason schedule with games against the Jets at MetLife Stadium and at Jacksonville sandwiched around a home game against the Chiefs.
2026 Bucs schedule
Preseason
Aug. 14: at Jets, 7 (NBC)
Aug. 22: vs. Chiefs, 7:30 (NBC)
Aug. 28: at Jaguars, 7:30 (NBC)
Regular season
Sept. 13: at Bengals, 1 (Fox)
Sept. 20: vs. Browns, 1 (CBS)
Sept. 27: vs. Vikings, 4:05 (Fox)
Oct. 4: vs. Packers, 1 (Fox)
Oct. 8: at Cowboys, 8:15 (Prime)
Oct. 18: vs. Steeler, 1 (CBS)
Oct. 25: at Panthers, 1 (Fox)
Nov. 1: vs. Falcons, 1 (Fox)
Nov. 8: at Bears, 8:20 (NBC)
Bye
Nov. 22: at Lions, 1 (CBS)
Nov. 30: vs. Panthers, 8:15 (ESPN)
Dec. 6: vs. Chargers, 1 (CBS)
Dec. 13: at Ravens, 1 (Fox)
Dec. 20: vs. Saints, 1 (Fox)
TBD: at Falcons, TBD (TBD)
Jan. 3: vs. Rams, TBD (TBD)
TBD: at Saints, TBD (TBD)
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