Bucs’ 2023 Schedule Released

With the 2023 NFL Schedule officially released Thursday night, the new-look Bucs now know the exact path that lies ahead of them as they look to three-peat as NFC South champions.

Tampa Bay’s opponents were finalized once the 2022 regular season came to an end, and it was known where each game would be played. But now, the order is set and the countdown to kickoff is on.

Vikings QB Kirk Cousins – Photo by: USA Today

For the second straight season, the Bucs will open up on the road. This time, it’ll be a trip to Minnesota, where they’ll face the Vikings at 1:00 p.m. on Sept. 10. They’ll then return home for back-to-back games at Raymond James Stadium against the Bears in Week 2 and the Eagles in Week 3, the latter of which will be a Monday Night Football game. In Week 4, Tampa Bay will open up its NFC South slate with a contest at New Orleans at 1:00 p.m.

After an early Week 5 bye week, the Bucs are back home with back-to-back 1:00 p.m. games, hosting the Lions in Week 6 and the Falcons in Week 7. They then hit the road for their first two-game road trip of the season, playing on Thursday Night Football in Buffalo against the Bills before a Week 9 trip to Houston to play the Texans.

Tampa Bay returns home in Week 10 to host Tennessee, then hits the road for back-to-back road games again. In Week 11, the team will play at 4:05 p.m. against the 49ers in San Francisco. Week 12 will see the team in Indianapolis for a game against the Colts. The Bucs’ first meeting with the Panthers will come in Tampa in Week 13, then they’ll make the return trip to play the Falcons in Atlanta in Week 14.

Bucs NT Vita Vea – Photo by: USA Today

In Week 15, the Bucs will travel to Green Bay for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff against the Packers. They’ll then wrap up the home schedule with games against the Jaguars (at 4:05 p.m.) in Week 16 and the Saints in Week 17. The season finale will come on the road at the Panthers after the new year, with the date to be announced.

Tampa Bay also announced its preseason slate, with the first game coming on Aug. 11 against the Steelers at Raymond James Stadium. The team will then play a road exhibition against the Jets before wrapping up the preseason at home against the Ravens.

Bucs’ Full 2023 Schedule

Here’s the Bucs’ full 2023 schedule:

Preseason:

Friday, Aug. 11: vs. Steelers (TBA) — WFLA
Aug. 17-20: at Jets (TBA) — WFLA
Saturday, Aug. 26: vs. Ravens (TBA) — WFLA

Regular Season:

Week 1 — Sunday, Sept. 10: at Vikings (1:00 p.m.) — CBS
Week 2 — Sunday, Sept. 17: vs. Bears (1:00 p.m.) — Fox
Week 3 — Monday, Sept. 25: vs. Eagles (7:15 p.m.) — ABC
Week 4 — Sunday, Oct. 1: at Saints (1:00 p.m.) — Fox
Week 5 — Sunday, Oct. 8: BYE WEEK
Week 6 — Sunday, Oct. 15: vs. Lions (1:00 p.m.) — Fox
Week 7 — Sunday, Oct. 22: vs. Falcons (1:00 p.m.) — Fox
Week 8 — Thursday, Oct. 26: at Bills (8:15 p.m.) — Amazon Prime Video
Week 9 — Sunday, Nov. 5: at Texans (1:00 p.m.) — CBS
Week 10 — Sunday, Nov. 12: vs. Titans (1:00 p.m.) — CBS
Week 11 — Sunday, Nov. 19: at 49ers (4:05 p.m.) — Fox
Week 12 — Sunday, Nov. 26: at Colts (1:00 p.m.) — CBS
Week 13 — Sunday, Dec. 3: vs. Panthers (1:00 p.m.) — CBS
Week 14 — Sunday, Dec. 10: at Falcons (1:00 p.m.) — CBS
Week 15 — Sunday, Dec. 17: at Packers (1:00 p.m.) — Fox
Week 16 — Sunday, Dec. 24: vs. Jaguars (4:05 p.m.) — CBS
Week 17 — Sunday, Dec. 31: vs. Saints (1:00 p.m.) — Fox
Week 18 — TBA: at Panthers (TBA) — TBA

As Expected, Bucs’ Primetime Presence Drops

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: USA Today

It’s no surprise, but the Bucs will appear in primetime games far less frequently in 2023 than they did over the last three seasons. That was bound to happen with the retirement of seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback of all time.

When Brady arrived in 2020, Tampa Bay had five scheduled primetime games — a Thursday night matchup, two Sunday night contests and two Monday night games. One of those Sunday Night Football appearances ended up not coming to fruition, with their game in Las Vegas against the Raiders being moved up to the afternoon due to a COVID-19 situation.

After the Bucs won Super Bowl LV, they came back and once again had five primetime games scheduled in 2021. They opened on a Thursday night and then had two Sunday night games, another Thursday night game and a Monday night tilt.

Finally, in Brady’s final season, Tampa Bay had five more primetime games and an international contest. The Bucs opened on Sunday night and later had two more Sunday night appearances (including one on Christmas). They also had a Thursday night matchup and a Monday night contest, as well as their Sunday morning matchup in Munich, Germany.

Bucs ILB Devin White – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The spotlight on Todd Bowles’ team will be a lot less bright in 2023. The dropoff in primetime games this year isn’t as significant as many might’ve expected, though, with the Bucs getting an early-season Monday Night Football home game against the defending NFC champion Eagles and a Thursday Night Football contest against the Bills in Buffalo.

Tampa Bay will also see a bunch of the game’s youngest and newest quarterbacks, as Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds laid out Thursday morning.

The Bucs will host No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young and the Panthers in Week 13 before playing them in Charlotte in Week 18. No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud and the Texans will host Tampa Bay in Week 9, while No. 4 overall pick Anthony Richardson and the Colts will host Bowles and Co. in Week 12.

Which game are you most looking forward to, Bucs fans? Let us know in the comments below.

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