Bucs schedule has primetime games and less travel
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The Bucs start their 2024 season at Ray Jay, hosting the Washington Commanders on Sept. 8 — a rare Week 1 home opener, just their fourth since 2015, per ESPN.
- And though a third consecutive division crown means playing some heavy hitters — like the 49ers, Lions, Ravens and Cowboys — the schedule revealed last week has plenty for Tampa Bay fans to be pleased with.
Go (not so) long: The Bucs will travel 15,300 miles this season, just the 23rd longest travel schedule in the NFL.
- And they face the fifth-easiest slate of opponents, according to those teams' records last season.
The big screen: Tampa Bay also landed four prime-time games, including Monday Night Football appearances against the Ravens and Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs in Weeks 7 and 9, respectively.
The intrigue: In their first night game, Oct. 3 against Atlanta, Tampa Bay will face former head coach Raheem Morris, who was hired this offseason to lead the division-rival Falcons. They face Atlanta again Oct. 27.
- They also have two games in December against Dave Canales, the Bucs' former offensive coordinator who left in January to become head coach of the Carolina Panthers, another divisional opponent.
The bottom line: The schedule has advantages but the quest for a fourth straight division title won't be easy. Las Vegas currently projects Tampa Bay's win total odds at 7.5 games, behind the Falcons.
- They'll likely need to overperform to reach the postseason.
Go deeper: Check out the full schedule at ESPN