It’s official. The Buccaneers now have their 2017 regular season schedule. They open up with a road trip to Miami on Sept. 10 and close with the Saints on Dec. 31. Which five games on the schedule will be the toughest for Tampa Bay?
The Buccaneers now know how things will line up on their schedule in 2017. After going 9-7 last season, the team will be looking to further build itself into a playoff contender. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson and defensive lineman Chris Baker were Tampa Bay’s two biggest free agent acquisitions. We’ll soon find out who makes up this year’s draft class. All signs point to the Bucs returning to relevance this season, but they play the games for a reason.
With that being said, which games will be the toughest for the guys in red and pewter this year? There are some big opportunities for the Bucs to prove themselves against perennial contenders, so there are quite a few marquee matchups on the schedule. This year, Tampa Bay has opponents from the NFC North, AFC East, as well as Arizona and New York in the NFC. That is, of course, in addition to the usual meetings with NFC South rivals.
Here, we take a look at the five toughest games on the 2017 schedule.