With their 2024 schedule now set, the Buccaneers have a clear look at what to expect this season. The first half of their season is a death march of Super Bowl contenders, punctuated by divisional games (and the Denver Broncos). Following their bye, the path smooths out as they face just one team that had a winning record in 2023.
Bucs fans still have plenty for which to look forward. Tampa Bay has four primetime games, including two on Monday nights. Though they face some of the toughest opponents in the NFL, the Bucs will get to play some of the most exciting offenses including Detroit, San Francisco and Kansas City.
Here are the Bucs’ top-10 games from their 2024 regular season schedule:
10. Week 15: at Los Angeles Chargers
Oct 4, 2020; Tampa, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) throws a pass Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third quarter of a NFL game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Chargers are a perennial preseason darling despite their flawed rosters and lack of recent winning returns. The roster issues remain, but new head coach Jim Harbaugh has a knack for turning bad football teams into winning football team. Fortunately for Tampa Bay, Harbaugh’s winning formula does not work overnight, which makes Los Angeles vulnerable to a more established Bucs team.
9. Week 13: at Carolina Panthers
Feb 1, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales speaks to the media during the introductory press conference for new general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
The Panthers were the worst team in the NFL in 2023 and could very well be again in 2024. The main difference is they are now led by former Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales. His knack for maximizing the talent of his quarterbacks should help QB Bryce Young in the long run, but the Panthers practically gutted their defense this offseason. This first matchup with Carolina might end up being an offensive slugfest.
8. Week 18: vs. New Orleans Saints
Dec 31, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) greet after the game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
Saints-Bucs games are often must-watch television, if only to see the fireworks between Marshon Lattimore and Mike Evans. The NFC South should be hotly contested this year, and a regular season finale against New Orleans could decide who wins the division.
While the rivalry has largely favored the Saints, the Bucs are 3-1 against New Orleans over the last two seasons. This year could be the tipping point for Saints HC Dennis Allen and GM Mickey Loomis, now three years removed from a playoff berth and the team’s salary cap at critical mass. A Bucs win might send the current Saints brass over the edge.
7. Week 1: vs. Washington Commanders
Apr 25, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels poses with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected by the Washington Commanders as the No. 2 pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Season openers are designed to be explosive affairs, and this year should be no different. The Bucs get the honor of initiating 2024 second-overall pick Jayden Daniels into the NFL. Daniels may not find the experience all that pleasant as Todd Bowles has a reputation for rough welcomes with rookie quarterbacks. Bowles has a 10-5 record against rookies since he joined Tampa Bay. With Washington coming off a 4-13 season, the Commanders may not be able to soften Daniels’ landing in the NFL.
6. Week 16: at Dallas Cowboys
Jan 16, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) makes a catch against Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs (7) in the first half during the wild card game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Bucs’ last primetime game of the season comes in Dallas, who were suffered a humiliating loss to the Green Bay Packers in last year’s Wild Card round. Tampa Bay suffered its own embarrassing Wild Card loss to the Cowboys in 2022 and have yet to repay the debt. The Bucs with Todd Bowles are 2-0 against Dallas in the regular season, so history, at least in a certain light, may be on Tampa Bay’s side.
5. Week 4: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Jan 15, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Trey Palmer (10) runs after a reception against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half of a 2024 NFC wild card game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Since Jalen Hurts became Philadelphia’s starting quarterback, the Eagles offense has been a carousel of victory and frustration. Though Philadelphia handily won their Week 3 meeting last season 25-11, the Bucs won their Wild Card matchup just as easily 32-9. Todd Bowles’ defense does tend to bring the worst out in Hurts, as it did in 2021 when the Bucs shut Hurts down in the Wild Card game 31-15.
4. Week 10: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Nov 19, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton (88) carries the ball against San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Isaiah Winstead (2) during the fourth quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
A faceoff with a presumptive Super Bowl contender might warrant a higher spot than this, but it has been years since the Bucs have made a competitive showing against the Niners. Since Todd Bowles was hired by Tampa Bay, the Niners have won all three of their matchups by a combined margin of 55 points. This game will also come immediately following the Bucs’ road game in Kansas City and will bookend a particularly brutal first half of the season for Tampa Bay.
3. Week 7: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Oct 27, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) is sacked by Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea (50) in the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
The first of Tampa Bay’s two Monday Night Football games, this matchup may not be the one-sided affair some will make it out to be. The Ravens are in somewhat of a transitional period, losing defensive coordinator Mike McDonald and most of their offensive line. Still, they are among the most consistently competitive teams year-to-year. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens will be an uphill battle for the Bucs.
2. Week 2: at Detroit Lions
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans makes a catch for a touchdown against Detroit Lions cornerback Cam Sutton during the second half of the NFC divisional round at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024.
Last year’s NFC divisional playoff between the Bucs and Lions was among the most thrilling of the 2023 postseason. Detroit is firmly in a Super Bowl window, and the Bucs are looking to avenge the 23-31 loss that ended their season. This game will be an early test of the changes that Tampa Bay has made along its offensive line, which failed the test of integrity against the Lions’ front four.
1. Week 9: at Kansas City Chiefs
Feb 7, 2021; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers strong safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (31) taunts Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) during the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
The Bucs have no bigger game this season than a Super Bowl LV rematch on Monday Night Football. Tom Brady may be gone, but the sting of Patrick Mahomes’ only Super Bowl defeat may always linger. Coming off another Super Bowl win, Mahomes is at the height of his powers, helped by a highly efficient defense but not so much by his supporting cast on offense. The Bucs lost their last meeting, but the Chiefs are still vulnerable if the roster relies too heavily on Mahomes’ heroics.
