Predicting Five Tampa Bay Buccaneers Primetime Games

Which teams might we see the Bucs facing in premiere time slots?

Primetime games are great for teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, even if not always convenient for the fans. 

Playing in the night game slot means a chance to impress a national audience who may not otherwise witness your brand of football.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Each team can be slotted in up to five primetime games per season, and while there are plenty of teams who won't get the full amount, the Bucs are one we expect the NFL to put in as many as allowed.

So, which five games are most likely to land in primetime for Tampa Bay in 2022? Let's take a look.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Pittsburgh Steelers

This is certainly a wild card option, and one not many would view as the slam dunk option as some others. 

But today's NFL game is pass-dominated, and pitting the greatest quarterback of all time against the year's first prospect of the same position taken in the draft is an opportunity the league may not pass up. 

Of course, Kenny Pickett isn't guaranteed a start in 2022, and Mitchell Trubisky will certainly do his best to keep the former Pitt quarterback off the field. 

Even if this is the case, the Steelers' fanbase is one of the most passionate in the league, and a night game in December with playoff positioning on the line is a great venue no matter which quarterback Tom Brady and the Bucs have to defeat.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints

Fans love a hero, but if we're honest, it's the villains that make the story interesting. 

So, who hates Tom Brady more than any other NFL team these days? The New Orleans Saints. 

But, the Saints have also handed Brady and the Bucs four straight losses in the past two seasons. 

It's an interesting dynamic because while the team-to-team competition is very lopsided towards New Orleans, it's the Bucs who have won a Super Bowl and division title in those two years. 

Putting this - likely - final bout between Brady and the Saints in the Superdome on primetime satisfies the hero presence. But the matchup also presents the rare underdog domination storyline and the two-year angst of trophy-less Saints fans filtered through regular season bravado that will ensure the environment is rich with conflict. 

Matt Pendleton | 2022 Jan 23

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Los Angeles Rams

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Los Angeles Rams

I predicted this game to be in primetime last season, but perhaps the NFL was worried Matthew Stafford wouldn't completely pan out as the final piece needed for the Rams to step into contender status. 

Now we know it worked, and it worked really well. 

Can the NFL turn down the chance to put the last two Super Bowl winners in primetime against each other? 

Better yet, can the league really turn their nose up at putting this matchup on Monday Night Football as Joe Buck and Troy Aikman aim to resurrect the once-proud NFL broadcast icon?

Especially after the near historic comeback Tampa Bay nearly pulled off in the playoffs. It doesn't seem likely, but sure, it could happen.

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Kansas City Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes is supposed to be the next dominant quarterback in the NFL. The league has done what it can to ensure that the passing of the torch was smooth. 

But a 31-9 flop in the Super Bowl against Brady's Buccaneers and a sloppy road to the playoffs followed by a conference championship loss in 2021 have derailed those plans. 

In fact, if the Chiefs continue on the pattern they've set thus far, this season will come to an end on Divisional Round weekend. 

That being said, no other quarterback has clearly announced his claim to the throne as his generation's G.O.A.T., so the NFL will still insist on putting Mahomes v. Brady on primetime. 

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (left) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (right)

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1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Green Bay Packers

Some quarterback rivalries are set in gold and classics for years to come. 

Troy Aikman vs Steve Young is probably the greatest of my youth, and Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady stands out in my younger adult years. 

Since Manning's departure, Mahomes and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers have stepped into the principal rival roles. 

If I'm being honest though, it hasn't measured as well as the other rivalries mentioned here. 

Still, Rodgers and Brady were both dangerously close to retirement this offseason, and I can't imagine the league won't ensure they get one more view of these giants of their time on the primetime stage this season. 

Honorable Mentions: at Dallas Cowboys and vs. Cincinnati Bengals

For more on this and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers check out James Yarcho and David Harrison on the Locked On Bucs Podcast!