After a whole letdown of a fiftieth season in 2025, the Bucs enter Season 51 in 2026 in search of an enormous bounce-back marketing campaign.
Issues will look a lot completely different for Tampa Bay this 12 months with out Mike Evans — who left for San Francisco by way of free company in March — and the just lately retired Lavonte David. However Baker Mayfield and Co. will likely be seeking to rebound after the workforce’s four-year reign atop the NFC South and five-year playoff streak had been snapped due to a 2-7 stretch to shut final season.
Now, the Bucs know the total street forward with the discharge of the 2026 NFL schedule on Thursday evening. Their opponents have been set because the finish of the 2025 season, and there have been some 2026 schedule leaks all through this week. However the full schedule is now official.
Tampa Bay will open its 2026 season on the street, touring to Cincinnati to face the Bengals with a 1:00 p.m. kickoff. The Bucs will then come dwelling for his or her dwelling opener in Week 2, internet hosting the Browns at 1:00 p.m. as Baker Mayfield squares off towards his former workforce. That’s the beginning of a three-game homestand, too, because the workforce will then welcome within the Vikings in Week 3 (at 4:05 p.m.) and Packers in Week 4 (1:00 p.m.).
It’ll be a brief week between that dwelling recreation towards the Packers and Week 5, when the Bucs go to Dallas to face the Cowboys on Thursday Evening Soccer. After the mini-bye, Tampa Bay comes dwelling to host Pittsburgh for one more 1:00 p.m. kickoff.
Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Picture by: Jeffrey Jones/PR
NFC South play lastly will get underway for the Bucs in Week 7 once they go to Carolina to face the Panthers for a 1:00 p.m. recreation. Then comes one other 1:00 p.m. dwelling recreation and one other divisional recreation, with the Falcons coming to Raymond James Stadium in Week 8. Tampa Bay will then play at Chicago towards the Bears on Sunday Evening Soccer in Week 9 forward of a Week 10 bye.
Out of the bye, the Bucs go to Detroit to face the Lions at 1:00 p.m. simply earlier than Thanksgiving. The return recreation with the Panthers is available in Week 12, with Carolina coming to Tampa for a Monday Evening Soccer recreation.
The Chargers come to city to open up December with a 1:00 p.m. kickoff, then the Bucs go as much as Baltimore to face the Ravens in Week 14 at 1:00 p.m.. In Week 15, the Saints lastly come round, visiting Tampa for the primary of the 2 conferences between the 2 sides. That recreation is about for 1:00 p.m. 5 days earlier than Christmas Day.
The common season then finishes with two street video games in a three-week span, with Tampa Bay going through Atlanta within the ultimate recreation of the 2026 calendar 12 months to begin it. That recreation’s date has not but been introduced, that means it might come on Saturday or Sunday.
Bucs CBs Jacob Parrish and Zyon McCollum – Picture by: Cliff Welch P/R
The house finale for the Bucs comes after the flip of the brand new 12 months, with the Rams coming to Raymond James Stadium in Week 17 for a Sunday recreation with the kickoff time to be introduced. And to complete off the common season, Tampa Bay goes to the Superdome to face New Orleans, with that recreation’s date and time additionally to be introduced.
Because it stands, the Bucs solely have one recreation within the 4:00 p.m. window, and as Buccaneers.com’s Scott Smith identified, the Bucs gained’t play a street recreation in back-to-back weeks at any level this season. That’s simply the third time in workforce historical past that such is the case, and it’s the primary time in 35 years.
Bucs Have Three Video games Beneath The Lights In 2026
The Bucs will as soon as once more have loads of alternatives to exorcise their primetime demons in 2026, with three video games getting nighttime slots. Tampa Bay is 4-11 in common season primetime video games underneath head coach Todd Bowles and 5-13 general (with a 1-2 mark within the playoffs).
It seemed final 12 months as if the Bucs would possibly’ve taken care of their primetime woes after going 0-4 underneath the lights within the 2024 common season and 0-5 general after their Wild Card loss to the Commanders. As a result of of their first probability to play in primetime, Baker Mayfield and Co. got here again late to beat the Texans in Houston, securing a Monday Evening Soccer victory to begin the season 2-0.
Bucs HC Todd Bowles Picture by: USA Right this moment
However what adopted had been extra disappointments in primetime. Tampa Bay misplaced 24-9 at Detroit on Monday Evening Soccer a few month later, then fell 34-7 to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Evening Soccer a month after that. Then got here the notorious “3rd & 28” recreation wherein the Bucs blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead at dwelling towards the Falcons on Thursday Evening Soccer.
So, after beginning off 1-0 underneath the lights final 12 months and doubtlessly placing these struggles behind them, Bowles and the Bucs misplaced their subsequent three video games in prime slots. Now, the main target is on 2026 as they give the impression of being to reverse these traits.
Tampa Bay’s first probability to take action is available in Week 5 when it heads to Dallas for Thursday Evening Soccer. Then comes one other shot on the street in Week 9 with a visit to Chicago, after which the third of the Bucs’ three primetime video games comes at Raymond James Stadium once they host the Panthers in Week 12 on the finish of November.
Bucs’ Full 2026 Schedule
Right here’s Tampa Bay’s full 2026 schedule, together with its three-game preseason slate:
Preseason:
Week 1 — Friday, Aug. 14: Buccaneers at Jets (7:00 p.m.) — WFLAWeek 2 — Saturday, Aug. 22: Buccaneers vs. Chiefs (7:30 p.m.) — WFLAWeek 3 — Friday, Aug. 28: Buccaneers at Jaguars (7:30 p.m.) — WFLA
Common Season:
Week 1 — Sunday, Sept. 13: Buccaneers at Bengals (1:00 p.m.) — FOXWeek 2 — Sunday, Sept. 20: Buccaneers vs. Browns (1:00 p.m.) — CBSWeek 3 — Sunday, Sept. 27: Buccaneers vs. Vikings (4:05 p.m.) — FOXWeek 4 — Sunday, Oct. 4: Buccaneers vs. Packers (1:00 p.m.) — FOXWeek 5 — Thursday, Oct. 8: Buccaneers at Cowboys (8:15 p.m.) — Amazon PrimeWeek 6 — Sunday, Oct. 18: Buccaneers vs. Steelers (1:00 p.m.) — CBSWeek 7 — Sunday, Oct. 25: Buccaneers at Panthers (1:00 p.m.) — FOXWeek 8 — Sunday, Nov. 1: Buccaneers vs. Falcons (1:00 p.m.) — FOXWeek 9 — Sunday, Nov. 8: Buccaneers at Bears (8:20 p.m.) — NBCWeek 10 — BYE WEEKWeek 11 — Sunday, Nov. 22: Buccaneers at Lions (1:00 p.m.) — CBSWeek 12 — Monday, Nov. 30: Buccaneers vs. Panthers (8:15 p.m.) — ESPNWeek 13 — Sunday, Dec. 6: Buccaneers vs. Chargers (1:00 p.m.) — CBSWeek 14 — Sunday, Dec. 13: Buccaneers at Ravens (1:00 p.m.) — FOXWeek 15 — Sunday, Dec. 20: Buccaneers vs. Saints (1:00 p.m.) — FOXWeek 16 — TBA: Buccaneers at Falcons (TBA) — TBAWeek 17 — Sunday, Jan. 3: Buccaneers vs. Rams (TBA) — TBAWeek 18 — TBA: Buccaneers at Saints (TBA) — TBA
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