Cincinnati Bengals vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Prediction — NFL Week 1 (2026)

Cincinnati Bengals host Tampa Bay Buccaneers in NFL Week 1, kicking off September 13, 2026 at 18:00. This is a marquee matchup by our power ratings: Cincinnati Bengals sit at Elo 1467 (No. 18 in our NFL ratings) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 1465 (No. 19).

Elo lean

Adjusted for the standard home-field edge, the Elo gap works out to roughly 57% for Cincinnati Bengals (57% Cincinnati Bengals / 43% Tampa Bay Buccaneers). Treat that as a power-rating read, not a full forecast — the complete model for this game publishes when lines open.

Form

• Cincinnati Bengals: 2-3 in their last 5 (L-W-W-L-L, most recent first); latest 18-20 vs Cleveland Browns.
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1-4 in their last 5 (W-L-L-L-L, most recent first); latest 16-14 vs Carolina Panthers.

Head-to-head

These teams have met 5 time(s) in our data window: Cincinnati Bengals won 3, Tampa Bay Buccaneers won 2. Most recently: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-34 Cincinnati Bengals on 2022-12-18.