The NFL will release the 2020 schedule on Thursday night and the Bucs and their fans are eagerly awaiting to see what the season holds for them. While we know Tampa Bay’s slate of opponents won’t make a run at the postseason easy, fans can take comfort in the fact that they likely won’t have as brutal a stretch as they did last season, when they played five-straight games away from Raymond James Stadium, including a London “home” game.
With no international games scheduled for 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, teams won’t have to deal with the long flights and jet lag. But, issues could still arise at home that could affect a team’s schedule and overall season.
Take 2017 for instance, when both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins saw their Week 1 game postponed due to Hurricane Irma, so the bye week the teams were scheduled to have in Week 11 became the date of their game. That meant the the Bucs and Dolphins had to endure 16-straight games without a break. Clearly not an ideal situation, but one the NFL had to make. It turns out, too, it’s not the first time NFL teams have had a bye in Week 1.
Still, no team wants that, especially not the Buccaneers, who will have a 43-year-old quarterback under center. While Tom Brady is in great shape, both mentally and physically, playing 16-straight games would put a strain on even a 20-year-old’s body.
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