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 watch
• Rick's score prediction for Sunday's opener in Cincinnati
• Mike Evans' big 49ers debut in Australia, and the loaded NFC West
• Rays open a homestand with a chance to clinch a playoff spot — first in MLB this year
• Kevin Cash's case for AL Manager of the Year
• Ohio State at Texas: Saturday night's marquee college football matchup
• Remembering 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.

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