Here's Why Baker Mayfield Might Go Off on Sunday vs. the Bengals

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to play their first game of the NFL season in Week 1, and it won't be easy — they're set to go up against one of the NFL's premier high-flying offenses.

The Bucs will play the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1, and head coach Todd Bowles is preparing to face a vaunted passing offense headed by elite quarterback Joe Burrow and featuring wideouts Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The Bucs have a revamped defense that believes it's up to the task of slowing Cincinnati and playcaller Zac Taylor's offense down.

The offense, meanwhile, is led by new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson — and by quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is now locked in with Tampa Bay for the next four years after a massive extension.

This will be the first time that Mayfield has played in Cincinnati as a member of the Buccaneers. And Mayfield will hope that this trip goes much like the other ones he's had in the past during his NFL career.

Baker Mayfield Has Good Memories in Cincinnati

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) throws a pass as Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt (57) | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Mayfield tends to play very, very well in Cincinnati.

Per FOX Sports' Greg Auman, Mayfield is 3-2 as a starter when playing in Cincinnati against the Bengals. During those four games, he's netted a passer rating of 124.6 with 1,207 yards,16 touchdown passes and four interceptions across appearances with both the Cleveland Browns (4) and the Carolina Panthers (1).

His best performance on the road in Cincinnati came in 2020 when he played for the Browns. He threw for 297 yards, five touchdowns and one interception en route to a surprisingly close 37-34 victory against the Bengals.

Mayfield tends to play well against the Bengals overall, too, including games against them at home. In eight total games, he's 6-2 with a passer rating of 115.0, throwing for 1,902 yards, 21 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

Obviously, this Bengals team will be a different team than all of those, and his most recent game against them was a loss when he started for the Panthers in 2022. He'll be looking to avenge that loss as a member of a different NFC South team, and it will be the first game after he signed a massive three-year, $165 million extension in Tampa Bay.

The Bucs play the Bengals at 1 p.m. on Sept. 13. When they do, Mayfield will hope his strong streak of play in Cincinnati continues.

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