Ladies and gentlemen, the 2021 NFL schedule is officially here. With the draft in the books and most rosters all but locked and loaded for the fall, we can finally turn our eyes toward the season.
The NFC South promises plenty of intrigue this year, what with the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers being in the division and all. But they're not the only team rife with intrigue. The Carolina Panthers are beginning the Sam Darnold era. The Atlanta Falcons are moving forward under a new coach and general manager, with star tight end and No. 4 overall pick Kyle Pitts now in tow. And the New Orleans Saints are moving on from legendary quarterback Drew Brees.
About those defending champion Bucs, though, here's a full rundown of their 17-game schedule, including key matchups and a season prediction:
2021 Buccaneers schedule
| Week | Opponent | Date | Time | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | vs. Cowboys | Sept. 9 | 8:20 p.m. | NBC |
2 | vs. Falcons | Sept. 19 | 4:05 p.m. | FOX |
3 | at Rams | Sept. 26 | 4:25 p.m. | FOX |
4 | at Patriots | Oct. 3 | 8:20 p.m. | NBC |
5 | vs. Dolphins | Oct. 10 | 1 p.m. | CBS |
6 | at Eagles | Oct. 14 | 8:20 p.m. | NBC |
7 | vs. Bears | Oct. 24 | 4:25 p.m. | CBS |
8 | at Saints | Oct. 31 | 4:25 p.m. | FOX |
9 | BYE WEEK | |||
10 | at Washington | Nov. 14 | 1 p.m. | FOX |
11 | vs. Giants | Nov. 22 | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN |
12 | at Colts | Nov. 28 | 1 p.m. | FOX |
13 | at Falcons | Dec. 5 | 1 p.m. | FOX |
14 | vs. Bills | Dec. 12 | 4:25 p.m. | CBS |
15 | vs. Saints | Dec. 19 | 8:20 p.m. | NBC |
16 | at Panthers | Dec. 26 | 1 p.m. | FOX |
17 | at Jets | Jan. 2 | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| 18 | vs. Panthers | Jan. 9 | 1 p.m. | FOX |
Buccaneers key games
- Week 1 vs Cowboys: A potential playoff team stacked with weapons and a returning Dak Prescott, Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, and La'el Collins, the Cowboys have the tools to really test the Buccaneers defense. Whether they can handle Tampa's weapons on the other side of the ball is a different story, but they did at least add Kelvin Joseph to play across from Trevon Diggs on the outside, giving them a better chance of being able to deal with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and company.
- Week 3 at Rams: In their quest to repeat as champions, the Bucs have to handle potential NFC playoff foes, and the Rams are one of them. When you have to go play against Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey, it's a pretty big game. And now that the Rams have Matthew Stafford, L.A. should provide a tougher test for the Tampa defense than it did with Jared Goff under center.
- Week 10 at Football Team: The Football Team sports one of the NFL's best front fours, and everybody knows the best way to get Tom Brady off his rhythm is to put some pressure in his face and make him move off his spot. Washington is as good a bet as any team in the league to be able to do just that. Oh, and former Buccaneer Ryan Fitzpatrick is now the Team's quarterback, so that should make this game pretty fun.
Buccaneers toughest matchup
Week: 12 | Date: Nov. 28 | Time: 1 p.m.
Opponent: at Indianapolis Colts
Most of Tampa's toughest games happen to come at home, and it's difficult to call a home game the most difficult matchup of the year. Instead, we'll go with the Colts, who have a dominant offensive line that could neutralize the Tampa defense's greatest strengths, potentially turning this into the type of game the Bucs don't necessarily want to play.
Buccaneers projected win total
2021 record prediction: 12-5
Tampa is still one of the NFL's best teams on both sides of the ball. The Bucs will return all 22 starters from last year's championship team, and they added depth at important positions like edge rusher (Joe Tryon) and tackle (Robert Hainsey) in the draft. It's possible they could regress some defense due to the age of various core players, but the offense should be able to make up for that. Playing a first-place schedule does make the regular-season road a bit tougher than it was a year ago,
