The NFL finally released the full 18-week schedule for the 2022 regular season Thursday night, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will once again be heavily featured.
Here are some of the most compelling storylines coming out of the Bucs’ 17-game slate for this season:
Reverse Rematch in Week 1
(AP Photo/Mark LoMoglio)
Last year, the Bucs opened their regular-season slate by hosting the Dallas Cowboys, beating them on a last-second field goal in front of a thunderous home crowd at Raymond James Stadium.
This time around, Tampa Bay will travel to Arlington to face the same opponent, with a Week 1 road test against “America’s Team” to kick off the 2022 season.
Last year’s ratings for this opening matchup were obviously good enough for the league decision-makers to make it happen again, getting the ever-present draw of the Cowboys’ nationwide fan base with the presence of Tom Brady and a recent Super Bowl champion.
Gauntlet Start
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Tampa Bay opens with back-to-back road games, following up their season-opening trip to Dallas with a Week 2 matchup against the division-rival New Orleans Saints.
Week 3 sees the Bucs finally play in front of their home crowd, hosting Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. The week after, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs come to Raymond James Stadium, the site of the Bucs dominant win over them in Super Bowl LV.
That’s one rough four-game stretch to start the season, one that could be made more difficult if Pro Bowl wide receiver Chris Godwin is still working his way back from a serious knee injury suffered late last year.
Five-Time Prime-Time
(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
For the second year in a row, the Bucs will have the most prime-time games a single team is allowed to have, with five such games scheduled for the national audience in 2022.
After their Week 1 road trip to face…