2019 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Schedule: Full Listing of Dates, Times and TV Info

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers remain one of the more confusing and unpredictable teams in the NFL.

Last season, the Bucs started 2-0, with wins over two future playoff teams, the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles. But the team went just 3-11 from there, posting its seventh losing season in the past eight years.

In 2019, the Bucs will be looking to end an 11-year playoff drought under new head coach Bruce Arians, though it may be more realistic to expect another rebuilding year for the team.

Gone are DeSean Jackson, Kwon Alexander, Adam Humphries and Vinny Curry. In are Shaquil Barrett, Deone Bucannon, Breshad Perriman and Blaine Gabbert.

The team also re-signed Donovan Smith and Peyton Barber, though the roster changes may not be enough to vault the Bucs to playoff status in the tough NFC South.

Everything will come down to Jameis Winston. The Bucs quarterback is fighting for his future with the team this season after an up-and-down career, with Ryan Fitzpatrick spending a chunk of the 2018 season as the starter.

Winston needs to be better than the 2,992 yards, 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions he threw for in 11 games last year.

If he isn't, the Bucs will be picking in the top 10 again in next year's draft, and they may be looking for a new quarterback with that pick.

Here's a look at Tampa Bay's complete 2019 regular-season schedule.

Schedule

Week 1 (Sunday, Sept. 8): vs. San Francisco 49ers, 4:25 p.m. ET (Fox)

Week 2 (Thursday, Sept. 12): at Carolina Panthers, 8:20 p.m. ET (NFL Network)

Week 3 (Sunday, Sept. 22): vs. New York Giants, 4:05 p.m. ET (Fox)

Week 4 (Sunday, Sept. 29): at Los Angeles Rams, 4:05 p.m. ET (Fox)

Week 5 (Sunday, Oct. 6): at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. ET (Fox)

Week 6 (Sunday, Oct. 13): vs. Carolina Panthers (in London), 9:30 a.m. ET (NFL Network)

Week 7: BYE

Week 8 (Sunday, Oct. 27): at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. ET (Fox)

Week 9 (Sunday, Nov. 3): at Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m. ET (Fox)

Week 10 (Sunday, Nov. 10): vs. Arizona Cardinals, 1 p.m. ET (Fox)

Week 11 (Sunday, Nov. 17): vs. New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. ET (Fox)

Week 12 (Sunday, Nov. 24): at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. ET (Fox)

Week 13 (Sunday, Dec. 1): at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. ET (Fox)

Week 14 (Sunday, Dec. 8): vs. Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Week 15 (Sunday, Dec. 15): at Detroit Lions, 1 p.m ET (Fox)

Week 16 (Saturday, Dec. 21, or Sunday, Dec. 22): vs. Houston Texans, Time TBD (TV TBD)

Week 17 (Sunday, Dec. 29): vs. Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. ET (Fox)

Analysis

The Bucs' six games against their NFC South rivals—the Saints, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers—won't be easy. The Bucs went 2-4 against the division last year, so they at least put up a fight, but they'll need to be better than that if they want to lock down a playoff berth.

More challenges await them, with six games against teams who made the playoffs last year. Alongside the Saints, the Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks will be tough matchups, with those contests evenly split between home and away.

But the Bucs also face a number of teams who should at least be in the postseason conversation. The Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars will be looking to return to the playoffs after missing out last year. Ditto for the Falcons and Panthers.

There are definitely winnable games on this slate, however, namely against the Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants, Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers. If the Buccaneers struggle against that caliber of opponent, they will be in trouble.

Pivotal Matchups

The Buccaneers need to get over the hump against the Falcons. They've lost five in a row to Atlanta and gave up 34 points in each of their two losses last year.

Those games were shootouts, given that neither team had a particularly good defense. That likely will be the case again in 2019, with Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley squaring off against Winston, Mike Evans and O.J. Howard.

If the Bucs can end their losing ways against Atlanta, they can become relevant again in the NFC South.

They haven't had as many struggles against Carolina, though they've still lost three of their last four. And interestingly, the Bucs have split with Drew Brees and the Saints in four straight seasons, though continuing that streak will be difficult against one of the top teams in the NFL.

The Bucs have a tough enough schedule that if they can't at least go 3-3 in the NFC South, it could be difficult for them to have a turnaround season. Winston has had some gems against divisional rivals in the past—he better have a few in 2019, too.