The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have an NFL-high five primetime games in the 2022 season. Here are those five Buccaneers games ranked.
It really is crazy just how much power one player can yield, especially in a conglomerate as powerful as the National Football League. However, the GOAT of GOATs will do GOAT of GOAT things, and the Buccaneers benefited.
That’s just what happened when Tom Brady decided that he was just kidding and not actually retired. During the cup of coffee he enjoyed while he was gone, the Bucs were fading back into obscurity and irrelevancy from their own fans, but mostly from the national attention as it pertains to the league. His return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers forced the NFL to completely redo their scheduling process though, and now the Bucs will have the most primetime games out of every team during the 2022 NFL season.
Now on the surface, especially at this point in the summer, none of these games look bad. These rankings are simply determining the great from the slightly less-great. So let’s get to it.
Number 5 – Week 8 Buccaneers vs. BAL (TNF)
This should be an interesting one. The Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens don’t play each other often, but both teams should be good this season, with the Ravens most likely being healthier than they were last year. There’s really nowhere to go but up in that regard. The game itself should be good, but should also be a little weird. Thursday Night games are always weird anyway, but it’s especially true since it’ll be on Amazon with Al Michaels in Kirk Herbstreit on the call. Still, primetime is primetime, this is just probably the least anticipated compared to the other ones.
Number 4 – Week 13 Buccaneers vs. NO (MNF)
It says a lot about the strength of the Buccaneers primetime slate in 2022 that the late season showdown with the New Orleans Saints in Tampa Bay is ranked fourth out of five. It’s especially telling when it’s on Monday Night Football with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the sticks. The thing is though, the Saints are an absolute mystery going into the season, with opinions wildly differing on how their season may shake out. Aside from the usual heated rivalry, there’s a good chance it could be Jameis Winston‘s return to Raymond James Stadium, which should have fans from both sides licking their chops, especially with how his season ended in 2021. This ranking is in no way in indictment of this game, it’s just a product of how exciting the others look on paper. That said, fans already have this game marked in red ink.
Number 3 – Week 4 Buccaneers vs. KC (SNF)
This game will mark the first time that the Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs will face off since the epic beatdown that was Super Bowl LV. For the most part, the teams that will be taking the field should be remarkably similar to the ones that did in the big game two seasons ago. However, the most notable difference will be that Tyreek Hill will not be a part of it. Antoine Winfield Jr. may have sent Hill to the shadow realm in the Super Bowl, but now it’s official that Hill will be one less problem for the Bucs to face. All of that aside, it’s Tom Brady versus Patrick Mahomes. The two cover boys of Madden 22, and the GOAT of one (and all) generation, and the quarterback with the potential to carry the torch into the next generation.
Number 2 – Week 1 Buccaneers @DAL (SNF)
The Buccaneers will begin their 2022 season the same way they began 2021, and that is with a date with the Dallas Cowboys. This time around though, it will be in Jerry World, which adds a little more intrigue to this matchup. The reason this game with big D comes in at the big deuce on our list is simply for the timing. It’s the opening game on the schedule, so naturally it will be the most anticipated during the dog days of Summer. It will also be the first Sunday Night Football game with Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth as the new OFFICIAL announce team. So there’s that.
Number 1 – Week 13 Buccaneers @ARI (SNF)
This game has the potential to be the most watched regular season game of the year. It could very well have big playoff implications, and plus, it’s football on Christmas Night. Once the initial rush of gift-opening in the early morning subsides, nobody really knows what to do with themselves the rest of the day and night. Well, the adults at least. The kids are usually off playing with their new toys and/or video games. What better way to spend it than with the Bucs and Arizona Cardinals?
While every game the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be playing in primetime in 2022 look like they can be real barnburners, and dates to certainly circle on the ol’ calendar, number one was an easy choice. The truth of the matter is we don’t know anything yet. Nobody has a clue how this season will shake out, and that’s the beauty of the NFL. For now though, there’s nothing wrong with getting a little ahead of ourselves.