Super Bowl champion Bucs open season with Cowboys
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TAMPA — The league’s most celebrated star and the team that wears one on its helmet will meet in the first game of the NFL season.
Tom Brady’s Super Bowl 55 champion Bucs will host the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, Sept. 9, at Raymond James Stadium to kick off the NFL season. Brady has never lost to Dallas, owning a 5-0 career mark.
The Week 1 matchup will be televised by NBC.
The Bucs could have drawn any of eight worthy opponents. In addition to the NFC South rivals such as New Orleans, Atlanta and Carolina, the other home opponents include the Bills, Giants, Bears and Dolphins. But as schedules were released by Fox, CBS and other media outlets, only the Cowboys remained as a possibility.
The Cowboys haven’t won a playoff game since 1995 but nonetheless hold the title of America’s Team. Last season, they also owned one the league’s worst defenses, allowing 29.6 points per game.
But the Cowboys biggest strength is their offense. Quarterback Dak Prescott, who sustained a gruesome leg fracture a year ago, is expected to be under center again in the season opener. He is surrounded by some of the league’s best offensive weapons such as running back Ezekiel Elliott and receivers Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb.
The rest of the NFL schedule will be revealed at 8 p.m. on ESPN and the NFL Network.
When the Bucs won Super Bowl 37, they started the next season on the road with a 17-0 win at Philadelphia.
The NFL season opener has almost always included the defending champs playing on their home field. The only two exceptions were in 2013, when the Baltimore Ravens had a conflict with an Orioles home game, and 2019, when the NFL kicked off with the Bears at the Packers to celebrate the league’s 100th season.
The Bucs return 22 starters from their Super Bowl team, re-signing free agents such as Lavonte David, Ndamukong Suh, Rob Gronkowsk, Antonio Brown and Ryan Succop. They also reached a long-term deal with Shaquil Barrett and used the franchise player tag on Chris Godwin.
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