Bucs-Bengals Week 1 Preview: Can Tampa Bay's New Look Defense Slow Down Joe Burrow?

Rick Stroud breaks down every angle of Sunday's opener in Cincinnati — and whether Tampa Bay's overhauled defense is ready for one of the NFL's most explosive passing attacks.

Rick and Steve Versnick dig into the Bucs' offseason defensive makeover — A'Shawn Robinson, Al-Quadin Muhammad, rookie Reuben Bain Jr. and first-year starter Josiah Trotter — and weigh it against a Bengals offense built around Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, a trio that's been playing pitch-and-catch since their LSU days. The verdict: the Bucs' interior run defense with Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey should hold up, but a thin cornerback room behind Zyon McCollum and Jacob Parrish is the matchup to watch if the pass rush doesn't get home. They also revisit the "week one is a liar" theory — last year's Bucs started 6-2 before collapsing down the stretch — before Rick offers a bold score prediction for Sunday's 1 p.m. kickoff.

Before that, they break down Mike Evans' electric Niners debut in Australia (a highlight-reel fade-route touchdown) in a lopsided win over the Rams, and what it means for a loaded NFC West. Then it's over to the Rays, who open a home series against Houston with a chance to clinch a playoff berth — potentially the first team in MLB to do so this year, and their first postseason trip in three years. Plus a look ahead to Saturday night's Ohio State-Texas showdown, and a special tribute to mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

In this episode:

Bucs-Bengals Week 1 preview: can Tampa Bay's new-look defense contain Burrow, Chase and Higgins?Why the Bucs' cornerback depth is the matchup to watchRick's score prediction for Sunday's opener in CincinnatiMike Evans' big 49ers debut in Australia, and the loaded NFC WestRays open a homestand with a chance to clinch a playoff spot — first in MLB this yearKevin Cash's case for AL Manager of the YearOhio State at Texas: Saturday night's marquee college football matchupRemembering 9/11, twenty-five years later

Send your mailbag questions to @SportsDayTB on X or email rstroud@tampabay.com. And get on down to Breitling Boutique at International Plaza — mention Sports Day Tampa Bay when you go.

#TampaBayBucs #BengalsBucs #JoeBurrow #TampaBayRays #NFL

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