On Saturday, the Cincinnati Bengals will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Paycor Stadium as both teams kick off their three-game preseason slate. The Bengals are expected to play their starters, including Joe Burrow, while the Bucs are choosing to roll with their backups.
Here’s everything you need to know about this Week 1 preseason matchup between the Bengals and Buccaneers, including how to watch, how to listen, the start time, and more.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals
- Start time: Saturday, August 10, 2024, 7 p.m. ET
- Channel: Local
- Live stream options: NFL+
- Radio stations: Bengals Radio Network, Buccaneers Radio Network, WLW-AM (700), WCKY-AM (1530), WEBN-FM (102.7)
- Starting QBs: Kyle Trask, Joe Burrow
- Betting lines:
- Spread: CIN -4.5
- Total: 38
- Moneyline: CIN -218, TB +180
The Bengals entered last season with Super Bowl hopes but struggled relative to expectations, missing the playoffs after Joe Burrow went down with a season-ending right wrist injury in Week 11.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor recently said he’s expecting to play his starters in this game, including QB Joe Burrow. It would be Burrow’s first game action since his season-ending wrist surgery in November of last year. It remains to be seen how much Cincy’s starters will play, but at least we’ll get a glimpse at their first unit on both sides of the ball.
One player we likely won’t see is star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who has been absent during training camp as he holds out for a new contract. It seems unlikely that he would play in a preseason game without getting any practices in.
Burrow recently opened up about Chase’s contract situation, expressing his support for his friend and adding that he’s “been able to give some insight into how my [2023 contract-negotiation] process was because I think it’s pretty similar.”
The Bengals have several position battles worth paying attention to, including at running back (with Zack Moss and Chase Brown competing for starting duties), WR3 (between Andrei Iosivas and third-round pick Jermaine Burton), and right tackle (between first-rounder Amarius Mims and veteran Trent Brown, who’s been sidelined due to an injury).
While training camp performances can certainly help a player stand out amidst a position battle, showing up when the lights are brightest is the best way to get the attention of coaches and win the starting job.
