The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t get the maximum number of prime-time games this season, but they will be getting maximum exposure for two of their most anticipated matchups.
The NFL released its full 2023 regular-season schedule on Thursday night and for the fourth year in a row the Buccaneers were scheduled for multiple prime-time dates. After landing five night games in each of the past three seasons the Bucs got two in 2023 but they are two powerhouse battles: at home against Philadelphia on Monday Night Football in Week Three and at Buffalo on Thursday Night Football in Week Eight. Both the Eagles and Bills are considered prime Super Bowl contenders in 2023 and both feature MVP candidates at quarterback.
The Eagles visit Raymond James Stadium on Monday, September 25, with kickoff for the ABC broadcast scheduled for 7:15 p.m. It’s a date very reminiscent of the first month of the 2018 season when Philadelphia, coming off a victory in Super Bowl LII the previous season, came to Tampa in Week Two, with the Bucs eventually prevailing, 27-21. This time around, the Eagles are once again the defending NFC champs after falling to Kansas City in Super Bowl LVII.
After recording the first 14-win regular season in franchise history, the 14-3 Eagles took the conference’s top seed in the playoffs and defeated the Giants and 49ers by a combined score of 69-14 before falling just short against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, 38-35. The Eagles’ high-powered offense, which finished third in both yards and points scored, was led by dual-threat quarterback Jalen Hurts. In just his second full season as a starter, Hurts threw for 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns and ran for 760 yards and 13 scores. He finished second in NFL MVP voting to Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes after compiling a career-best 101.5 passer rating. With wide receivers DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown plus tight end Dallas Goedert in his huddle and the league’s third-ranked rushing attack, Hurts has a talented cast to which to distribute the ball.
The Eagles also finished second in the league’s defensive rankings in 2022 and led the NFL with a remarkable 70 quarterback sacks, 15 more than the next closest team. In April, the team added three more members of the University of Georgia’s championship defense to the mix in defensive tackle Jalen Carter, edge rusher Nolan Smith and cornerback Kelee Ringo. They join Pro Bowlers Haason Reddick, who had 16.0 sacks in 2022, and cornerback Darius Slay, who picked off three…
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