2022 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Schedule: Full Listing of Dates, Times and TV Info

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The ageless Tom Brady enjoyed retirement for all of two months before deciding to return for his 23rd NFL season.

The seven-time Super Bowl winner, who will enter his third year in Tampa after 20 with the New England Patriots, is retaking the reins of a team that lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round.

A lot of his friends from last year are back. Running back Leonard Fournette, wide receiver Chris Godwin and center Ryan Jensen notably re-signed with the Bucs, although guard Ali Marpet has since retired.

Tampa did lose some pieces, though, with guard Alex Cappa heading to the Cincinnati Bengals and linebacker Jordan Whitehead now a New York Jet.

Still, the Bucs made some clutch pickups, notably adding wideout Russell Gage to pick up the No. 3 responsibilities and solid veteran safety Logan Ryan to help the defensive backfield.

The draft also brought in some future starters, with Houston defensive lineman Logan Hall, Central Michigan offensive tackle Luke Goedeke and tight end Cade Otton now aboard.

All of the additions, re-signings and draft choices should help the Bucs, but none more than Brady returning to the mix. That makes the Bucs clear Super Bowl contenders yet again as they search for their second Lombardi Trophy in three years.

✨ Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content

Here's a look at the Bucs' schedule alongside an overview on the ledger alongside some notes on key matchups.

2022 Buccaneers Schedule

Full television schedule can be found on the team's official website.

Analysis

There's more good than bad with the Bucs' schedule.

For starters, the rest of the NFC South looks weak on paper. The 5-12 Carolina Panthers simply have not fared well under head coach Matt Rhule through two years thus far.

The 7-10 Atlanta Falcons traded quarterback Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts, got outscored by 146 points last year and have lost a ton of talent at wideout in the last two years (Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage).

The 9-8 New Orleans Saints no longer have Sean Payton calling the shots, so we will see what goes down there with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen now promoted. They struggled offensively last year, and a bounceback is needed for a turnaround.

In addition, the Bucs have the 17th game at home this year, although it's a date with Patrick Mahomes and the AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs.

On the downside, Tampa will play the NFC West and AFC North. The West, which had three playoff teams last year, should be formidable outside the Seattle Seahawks, who traded quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos.

A cross-country trip to visit the NFC runner-up San Francisco 49ers could be tough, although the Rams are going to have to visit Raymond James Stadium.

The AFC North appears loaded after the defending conference champion Cincinnati Bengals loaded up on their offensive line, the Baltimore Ravens got stronger on defense, and the Cleveland Browns added three-time Pro Bowl signal-caller Deshaun Watson.

Still, the Bucs are pretty good in their own right and have more than enough talent to navigate the tougher parts of their schedule.

Pivotal Matchups

This isn't all that complicated. The Bucs have some massive games against the three fellow 2022 NFC division winners in the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers and Rams.

The Bucs opened the 2022 season with a slobberknocker of a game against Dallas, holding on for a 31-29 home win. Dallas, which went 6-10 in 2020, rebounded to go 12-5 in 2021 en route to scoring the league's most points.

The Cowboys may have lost wideout Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns via trade, but they return quarterback Dak Prescott and look ready to rumble again.

The Bucs and Packers will play in a 2020 NFC Championship Game rematch, too. Tampa Bay won that one 31-26 in Lambeau Field. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers will be looking for revenge, but they'll have to overcome the loss of superstar wideout Davante Adams, who was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Last, but definitely not least, the Bucs will meet the Rams again. L.A. enjoyed a relatively comfortable 34-24 regular-season win versus Tampa in 2021 and held a 27-3 lead against the Bucs in the playoffs before nearly choking it all away. A late Matt Stafford bomb to wideout Cooper Kupp set up a late field goal for the win.

Those are likely the three top teams standing in the way of the Bucs making a Super Bowl appearance, so they in turn are the biggest games on the ledger.