After falling into a four game losing streak just a few weeks ago, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are back in first place and in control of their own destiny the rest of the season. There are just four games left, with the first truly difficulty test coming this week against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Part of why the Bucs have been able to dig themselves out of the hole they were in is how easy their schedule was the last few weeks. Coming out of the bye Tampa Bay played the Giants, Panthers, and Raiders — all games they were supposed to win.
Now comes the hard part, as the Chargers are a playoff caliber team fighting for its own place in the AFC picture. Both teams need to win to keep their playoff hopes alive, with things being a little more urgent for the Bucs. Back-to-back games where the team underperformed and nearly loss to inferior opponents puts pressure on them to step up and prove they can hang with a real contender.
It won’t be easy, but the Bucs have a top scoring defense in the league and one of the most exciting offenses. Both will be put to the test against Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert on Sunday.
Who are the announcers for Buccaneers vs. Chargers today?
The Bucs are back on FOX this week, but will be playing in the late window for just the third time this season. So far that’s been a good thing as Tampa Bay is 2-0 in games it played when kicking off later, and there are mostly good vibes with the announcing crew too.
For the third time this season Adam Amin will be in the booth, this time with Mark Sanchez alongside him rather than Greg Olsen. Amin was calling the Bucs-Saints game that turned out pretty well for Tampa Bay but was also on the call for the dud against the Falcons a few weeks later.
Here’s to hoping that this time will be more like the first and less like his last outing calling a Bucs game.
Referees for Buccaneers vs. Chargers in Week 15
Head Referee (Crew Chief)
Scott Novak will be officiating his 15th game involving the Buccaneers this week, which is sort of a 50/50 thing for the team. In the game that Novak has called, the Bucs are 7-7, with the most recent game being last year’s loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football.
That game was notable for the way no flag was thrown on the Hail Mary to Chris Godwin that seemed to be an obvious foul. It was such a bad miss that Peter King went as far as to say it should be used to alter the way those sorts of plays are officiated, although nothing ended up coming from it.
Still, that’s the lasting taste in the mouths of Bucs fans when it comes to Novak and his crew, so hopefully things are less controversial this time around.
Full Officiating Crew
Here's the rest of Novak’s crew that will be calling the game with him in Week 15:
- Umpire: Mark Pellis
- Down Judge: Brian Sakowski
- Line Judge: Mark Stewart
- Side Judge: David Meslow
- Field Judge: Terry Brown
- Back Judge: Terrence Miles
Buccaneers vs. Chargers TV channel and start time (December 15th)
After last week’s game was on CBS, this week the Buccaneers will be returning to FOX. It’s the second in a three game stretch where the team is going to be playing not only in different time slots but on different networks.
Next week’s game is a Sunday Night Football showdown with the Dallas Cowboys, assuming that it isn’t flexed out for a more meaningful game. It’ll mean a lot to Tampa Bay, but it’s not the matchup we all thought we’d be getting when the schedule came out.
The game this Sunday could impact that potential flex as well. If the Bucs lose then there’s less at stake on both sides of the field, but a win would put them potentially two games up on the Falcons depending on what happens on Monday night.
Here’s everything you need to know to catch today’s game against the Chargers:
- Date: Sunday, December 15, 2024
- Start Time: 4:25 pm ET
- Location: SoFi Stadium | Los Angeles, CA
- TV Channel: FOX
- Announcers: Adam Amin, Mark Sanchez
- Live Stream: Fubo (Locally)
- Radio: WXTB 97.9 FM | More Radio Affiliates
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