The Buccaneers were just crowned Super Bowl champs in their home stadium to close out the 2020 NFL season. Tradition dictates they’ll launch the next season on the same field on opening night 2021.
And since each team’s upcoming opponents is already known- along with who the home team will be for each matchup- one can go down the list and take early guesses as to which Tampa Bay opponent will travel to the pirate ship to take part in the kickoff festivities.
The Dallas Cowboys could well be the visiting squad on opening night 2021.
It’s long been determined that the Cowboys will play the Bucs next season, by virtue of the divisional rotation that pits the NFC East against the NFC South teams. And Dallas already knows they’ll be heading to Tampa for that meeting. With Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott on track to be fully healthy once again and fresh off whatever contract/franchise tag drama plays out over the summer, it’s hard to imagine a higher-profile clash for the league’s next big primetime fight.
As NFL.com’s Kevin Patra points out, “The Cowboys should always be considered a contender to play in the biggest spots. If the NFL decides they don’t want to save this matchup for later in the season to goose ratings, it would make sense to put Jerry Jones’ club on kickoff night.”
The storylines write themselves.
There’s the retooled Cowboys defense taking on Brady and the high-octane Bucs attack. There’s Prescott retaking command of his offensive weaponry against former Dallas secondary coach Todd Bowles, who will by then be sporting the ring he just won as Tampa’s defensive coordinator. There’s Mike McCarthy versus Bruce Arians, two longtime coaches, each with a Super Bowl win on his resume.
And, of course, there’s the ratings bonanza that a Cowboys-Buccaneers opener would provide. The NFL kickoff game should always win the Thursday night timeslot, but the league may be looking to reassert their TV dominance with a splash after Sunday’s Super Bowl turned in a noticeable dip in viewing numbers.
The Bucs will also host the Saints, Bills, Dolphins, Bears, Falcons, Panthers, and Giants in 2021. Plans to add a 17th game to each team’s schedule have not been formally adopted.
The Cowboys held Brady largely in check the last time they faced him, in Week 12 of 2019, but Dallas lost to New England that rainy afternoon by a 13-9 score. The last time the Cowboys played Tampa Bay was the 2018 home finale in Arlington, when Dallas won the NFC East crown with a 27-20 win.
America’s Team versus the defending Super Bowl champs. The quarterback whose contract and anticipated comeback will have been front-page news for months going head-to-head with the G.O.A.T.
It may prove to be just too much for the NFL schedule makers to pass up on opening night.
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