2015 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Schedule: Full Listing of Dates, Times and TV Info

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have had the NFL's worst record in 2014, but they're a fascinating franchise heading into 2015. In addition to having established young talent like Mike Evans and Lavonte David, they have the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. 

Whoever the opening day quarterback is, whether it's a draft pick or a veteran holding down the fort, Evans figures to be the key to making this offense go. He had 1,051 yards and 12 touchdowns on 68 receptions as a rookie with an unstable quarterback situation. 

Head coach Lovie Smith is not known for being an offensive innovator, but there are intriguing pieces that will make the Buccaneers fun to watch. His specialty is as a defensive coach, which is also an area in which the team struggled last year. There aren't a lot of positives to take away from a 2-14 season, yet there's also nowhere to go but up. 

The big question for the franchise heading into 2015 is what will happen at quarterback. Even though the draft is still on the horizon, the expectation is that the Buccaneers are going to take a player at the position with the top pick. 

Whatever direction the Buccaneers go, they have their work cut out for them. Fortunately, they play in the NFC South, which featured a division winner that went 7-8-1 last season and doesn't figure to be significantly better in 2015. 

Here's how Tampa Bay's schedule for next season looks:

Week	Date	Opponent	Time (ET)	TV
1	9/13	vs. Tennessee Titans	4:25 p.m.	CBS
2	9/20	at New Orleans Saints	1 p.m.	FOX
3	9/27	at Houston Texans	1 p.m.	FOX
4	10/4	vs. Carolina Panthers	1 p.m.	FOX
5	10/11	vs. Jacksonville Jaguars	1 p.m.	CBS
6	BYE	BYE	BYE	BYE
7	10/25	at Washington Redskins	1 p.m.	FOX
8	11/1	at Atlanta Falcons	1 p.m.	FOX
9	11/8	vs. New York Giants	4:05 p.m.	FOX
10	11/15	vs. Dallas Cowboys	1 p.m.	FOX
11	11/22	at Philadelphia Eagles	1 p.m.	FOX
12	11/29	at Indianapolis Colts	1 p.m.	FOX
13	12/6	vs. Atlanta Falcons	1 p.m.	FOX
14	12/13	vs. New Orleans Saints	1 p.m.	FOX
15	12/17	at St. Louis Rams	8:25 p.m.	NFL Network
16	12/27	vs. Chicago Bears	1 p.m.	FOX
17	1/3	at Carolina Panthers	1 p.m.	FOX

Analysis

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Smith has touched on the topic of Jameis Winston vs. Marcus Mariota, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, noting it wouldn't be wrong to think the Buccaneers are leaning toward the Florida State star:

"

No, I wouldn't say it's an erroneous assumption. I would say when people make that assumption, we haven't had the pro workout (for Winston) yet. But we've done a lot of research, have watched a lot of video and had both of them in and talked with them individually and had them on the board. But the process, the game isn't over yet. I think you can have a leader, but you have to let the game play out and we're doing that.

"

That quote is from March. The Buccaneers have since hosted Mariota and Winston for private workouts, so it's possible their thinking has changed. 

Of all the disappointing aspects of Tampa Bay's 2014 season, its defense has to be the most concerning. The Buccaneers went from 17th in pass yards allowed in 2013 to 28th last year.

It's no surprise that the secondary was an area the Bucs addressed in free agency, bringing back Major Wright and Leonard Johnson as well as signing Sterling Moore and Chris Conte. 

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

The secondary will have to be much better if the Buccaneers are going to improve next season, but the schedule-makers did help the team. Based on 2014 records, per CBSSports.com's John Breech, Tampa Bay has the fourth-easiest schedule in 2015. 

The Buccaneers face interdivision opponents capable of airing it out, such as the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints, four times. They have a home game against the Dallas Cowboys, who have one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL, and road games with the Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts. 

Then there are other games against opponents with imposing defenses, such as the Houston Texans and St. Louis Rams, that will put pressure on the new quarterback to perform. Evans is a great wide receiver, but you can't throw jump balls on every play. 

If Tampa Bay and Tennessee both take a quarterback in the draft, there could be a showdown between Winston and Mariota, as the Buccaneers have a home game against the Titans. That might be the only reason to watch a game between the NFL's two worst teams from 2014, but it would be a compelling storyline. 

Pivotal Matchups

Cliff McBride/Getty Images

There's a hierarchy in the NFL, with certain teams fitting into different categories. The Buccaneers are one of a handful of franchises currently acting as court jesters. There is certainly room for improvement right away, but it's going to be a process before a deep playoff run happens. 

Fortunately, Tampa Bay has a chance to separate itself from the rest of that bottom group with games against Tennessee, Jacksonville and Washington. There's a reason all four of those clubs are picking in the top five when the draft comes around. 

The Titans have the most work to do of any team, because their roster is anonymous. Their front office worked in the offseason to help fix that, with additions like Brian Orakpo, but largely they went with second- and third-tier free agents (Perrish Cox, Anthony Fasano, Harry Douglas). 

Cliff McBride/Getty Images

If the Buccaneers can come out of those games with at least two wins, which would match last year's win total, it would be a step in the right direction. 

Jacksonville seems like the AFC version of Tampa Bay, trying to build with a young quarterback and a head coach specializing in defense. Neither team is going to make a significant leap this year, but both should be in the four-to-six-win category. 

One area in which the Buccaneers should improve in 2015 is against the division. That's not a difficult task, since they went 0-6 vs. the Falcons, Panthers and Saints in 2014. Think of how embarrassing it is to be winless in a division that was one of the worst in NFL history, with no team finishing at .500. 

There are also two more games against teams outside of the division and picking in the top 10 (Chicago Bears and New York Giants). Those could be nice litmus-test games for the Buccaneers, as the teams aren't good enough to be playoff contenders but aren't so bad as to fall off a cliff and join the jesters at the bottom of the barrel. 

The Bucs' two keys for having a successful season are being better in the division and beating the weak teams. It's not enough to give them hope for the playoffs, but it would signal that Smith's plan is working after the bottom fell out in 2014.