Three possible 2022 regular season openers for the Bucs
The NFL is set to release regular season schedules for all 32 teams on Thursday, May 12th at 8:00 pm.
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are slated to have not only an exciting 2022 slate, but also one that is considered a top-5 toughest schedule as well.
Bucs' 2022 Opponents via Buccaneers.com
Clearly, the opponents for the Bucs in 2022 aren't a cakewalk, and pretty much all of them provide a great storyline/matchup week in and week out. The unretirement of Tom Brady most likely caused some of the scheduling to alter as Brady always brings in a large audience of viewers, specifically in primetime matchups.
Looking at the schedule and storylines, I will give three teams that have the best potential to be the Bucs' Week 1 opponent to kick off the 2022 NFL season.
Home vs. Los Angeles Rams
The first team that comes to mind as an opening week opponent for the Bucs would be the Los Angeles Rams. This game would feature two of the elite rosters in the NFL as well as the past two Super Bowl champions.
The storylines don't just end there. A rematch of the NFC Divisional round would be a sure-fire hit in a primetime matchup, which this game certainly seems to be on paper. Last year's divisional-round matchup brought tons of excitement with the Rams pulling away for the majority of 3 quarters before Brady almost led the Bucs back for another historic come from behind victory.
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Personally, this would be the matchup I am rooting for the Buccaneers to receive once the schedule does in fact get released Thursday night.
Home vs. Green Bay Packers
Another team to keep an eye on for the Bucs' season opener would be a home game in Raymond James Stadium against another NFC powerhouse, the Green Bay Packers.
This one seems pretty simple and a no-brainer for why it would be docked as the opener for both teams. Tom Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers in a primetime Sunday night game.
Not much more needs to be said. Both quarterbacks are NFL fan favorites, or maybe most hated, and bring in consistent viewership from NFL audiences. The NFL loves having big games to start the season and what better way than bringing together two of the best QBs to ever do it.
Away vs. Dallas Cowboys
Lastly, the team that I could see the Bucs facing in Week 1 of the NFL season would be the Dallas Cowboys.
The Bucs' 2021 season opener was against this same Cowboys team in a primetime Thursday night game that brought plenty of excitement and storylines along with it. The return of Cowboys' QB Dak Prescott being at the forefront of them.
The matchup brought excitement in the first game of the season, with the Bucs edging out the Cowboys 31-29. With both teams featuring high-powered offenses, this matchup once again would line up to be one of the more entertaining to watch.
Making this game the season opener would follow somewhat of the College football outline of playing home-and-home series, where one team receives the home bid one season and the other the following season.
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