(via Tampa Bay Buccaneers Communications) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 2022 regular season schedule, released today by the National Football League, is highlighted by five primetime appearances, marking the third consecutive season that the Buccaneers have been scheduled for the maximum number of primetime games. Including the five primetime appearances, the Tampa Bay will be featured in 10 total games during the 2022 season that will be showcased to a national television audience. The Buccaneers will also face five division winners from the 2021 season – the maximum number a team can play in the new 17-game format.
"The release of the full season schedule is always one of the highlights of each offseason and we have been eagerly anticipating today's news," said Buccaneers Chief Operating Officer Brian Ford. "This season's home schedule is one of the most attractive in recent memory and we are excited to once again host games in a sold-out Raymond James Stadium where our fans will provide the best home field advantage in the NFL. There is so much to be excited about with this schedule, starting with our participation in the first regular season NFL game played in Germany as well as playing on Christmas Day on a national primetime stage. Our players and coaches have been hard at work and are eager and excited to provide another great season of memories for our fans."
The Buccaneers will kick off their season against the Dallas Cowboys for the second straight year, this time making the trip to Dallas. The Sunday Night Football showdown on Sept. 11 at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC will mark the fourth time that the Buccaneers and Cowboys have played in Week 1. Tampa Bay owns a 2-1 record in Week 1 games vs. Dallas.
Tampa Bay's first divisional matchup of the year will take place in Week 2 when the Buccaneers visit the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Sept. 18, at 1 p.m. ET (FOX). The Buccaneers have not started a season with back-to-back road trips since 2016.
In Week 3, the Buccaneers will host the Green Bay Packers in Tampa Bay's home opener at Raymond James Stadium, marking the third time the teams have met in the Buccaneers' first home game, and the first time since 2001. Tampa Bay has won each of its two most recent meetings with the Packers, including a 31-26 victory in the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 24, 2021.
In Week 4, the Buccaneers will return to the Sunday Night Football stage to host the Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch of Super Bowl LV, at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC. Tampa Bay owns an 8-6 all-time record against the Chiefs, including postseason.
Tampa Bay will play a third straight home game, in Week 5 vs. the Atlanta Falcons at 1 p.m. ET on FOX. In his last seven games against the Falcons dating back to 2018, wide receiver Chris Godwin has accumulated 47 catches for 728 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.
The Buccaneers will hit the road in Week 6 to square off against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field for the first time in the regular season since 2014 – a 27-24 victory for Tampa Bay that included the first of Mike Evans' franchise-record 76 career touchdowns. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff on FOX.
In Week 7, the Buccaneers will play the first of two contests against the Carolina Panthers, with a 1 p.m. kickoff on FOX. Tampa Bay will be looking for their fifth consecutive series win and fourth consecutive on the road.
Tampa Bay will play its lone Thursday Night Football game in Week 8 vs. the Baltimore Ravens at 8:15 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video – the first time a Buccaneers game will be aired exclusively on Prime Video.
In Week 9, the Buccaneers will host the defending Super Bowl champions, the Los Angeles Rams, at Raymond James Stadium. The game on Nov. 6 is slated for a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff on CBS. It will mark the third consecutive season in which the defending Super Bowl champion has played at Raymond James Stadium.
The NFL's first ever game in Germany will be played on Nov. 13 when the Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks face off at Allianz Arena – Home of FC Bayern Munich – at 9:30 a.m. ET on NFL Network. It will be the Buccaneers' fourth appearance in an International Series game, and the team's first outside of London.
Following a Week 11 Bye, Tampa Bay will travel to play the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 27 – a team that the Buccaneers have beaten in four of the last five meetings. The 1 p.m. ET kickoff on FOX will be Tampa Bay's first regular season contest in Cleveland since 2014.
In Week 13, the Buccaneers will battle the Saints on Monday Night Football at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN – Tampa Bay's sixth appearance on Monday Night Football in the past six seasons. This meeting will mark the first time the Buccaneers and Saints have ever matched up on Monday night.
The Buccaneers will head west in Week 14 to square off against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Dec. 11, at 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX. It will be Tampa Bay's first game in San Francisco since a 34-17 win over the 49ers in 2016.
In Week 15, Tampa Bay will host the defending AFC Champions, the Cincinnati Bengals, at 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS. It will mark the Bengals' fifth ever visit to Tampa.
The Buccaneers will play their first ever Christmas Day game in Week 16 as they visit the Arizona Cardinals for an 8:20 p.m. Sunday Night Football kickoff on NBC. Tampa Bay will be featured in one of just three games being played on Christmas Day in 2022. The game will also mark the return of new Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles, who served as the Cardinals' defensive coordinator from 2013-14.
Tampa Bay will close out its season with back-to-back NFC South divisional games in Week 17 and Week 18. The Panthers will come to Tampa for a New Years Day kickoff at 1 p.m. ET on FOX before the Buccaneers conclude their season in Atlanta for a Week 18 matchup with the Falcons. The day and time for that contest will be announced at a later date.
The NFL also announced the preseason schedule on Thursday, which features the Buccaneers hosting the Miami Dolphins in Week 1 prior to visiting the Tennessee Titans in Week 2 and the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3. All preseason broadcasts will be aired locally on WFLA-TV.
All games will feature a radio broadcast on 98Rock (WXTB-97.9 FM), as well as stations throughout Florida that are part of the Buccaneers Radio Network. Fans can also listen to every Buccaneers Radio broadcast online on Buccaneers.com and the Buccaneers mobile app.
The NFL will again utilize flexible scheduling in Weeks 5-18. This season, flexible scheduling for Sunday night may be used twice between Weeks 5-10, and during Weeks 11-15 and Week 17. In weeks of the season eligible for flexible scheduling, the games listed for the Sunday night window are tentative and subject to change. Only Sunday afternoon games are eligible to be moved to Sunday night, in which case the tentatively scheduled Sunday night game would be moved to a Sunday afternoon.
Flexible scheduling will not be applied to games airing on Thursday or Monday nights.
In Week 15, three of five designated matchups will be played on Saturday with the remainder to be played on Sunday. Specific dates and start times for the designated Week 15 matchups will be determined and announced at a later date during the season.
In Week 18, two games will be played on Saturday (4:30 PM ET and 8:15 PM ET) with the remainder to be played on Sunday afternoon (1:00 PM ET and 4:25 PM ET) and one matchup to be played on Sunday night (8:20 PM ET). Specific dates, start times, and networks for Week 18 matchups will be determined and announced following the conclusion of Week 17.
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