TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 2025 schedule was released along with the rest of the NFL slate Wednesday.
It features four stellar prime-time matchups, including a two "Monday Night Football" games against back-to-back divisional champions -- at the Houston Texans in Week 2 (I sense some extra motivation getting the victory for Mike Evans in his return home) and at the Detroit Lions in Week 7, with the Lions game being the fourth time in three seasons these two have faced off.
The others? Baker Mayfield vs. Matthew Stafford and a Los Angeles Rams team that helped resurrect his career on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 12 and a "Thursday Night Football" matchup in Week 15 -- where they'll host the Atlanta Falcons with likely implications for the division title and the playoffs
And like last year, they'll face the defending Super Bowl champions in the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4. The Bucs are the only team to beat the Eagles twice over the last two seasons. They'll also face the San Francisco 49ers for the fourth straight year, having gone 0-3 in those games. Can they defeat the Niners for the first time since 2018?
Here's what's in store for the Buccaneers:
Buccaneers 2025 regular-season schedule
Week 1: Sept. 7 at Atlanta Falcons
Week 2: Sept. 15 at Houston Texans (MNF)
Week 3: Sept. 21 vs New York Jets
Week 4: Sept. 28 vs Philadelphia Eagles
Week 5: Oct. 5 at Seattle Seahawks
Week 6: Oct. 12 vs San Francisco 49ers
Week 7: Oct. 20 at Detroit Lions (MNF)
Week 8: Oct. 26 at New Orleans Saints
Week 9: BYE
Week 10: Nov. 9 vs New England Patriots
Week 11: Nov. 16 at Buffalo Bills
Week 12: Nov. 23 at Los Angeles Rams (SNF)
Week 13: Nov. 30 vs Arizona Cardinals
Week 14: Dec. 7 vs New Orleans Saints
Week 15: Dec. 11 vs Atlanta Falcons (TNF)
Week 16: Dec. 21 at Carolina Panthers
Week 17: Dec. 28 vs Miami Dolphins
Week 18: Jan. 4 vs Carolina Panthers
*Date for Weeks 15 and 18 are to be determined
Strength of schedule: The Bucs are tied for the 14th-easiest schedule in the league (opponents had .481 winning percentage in 2024).
Over/Under: 9.5 wins
Biggest takeaway
Like last year's daunting seven-game stretch that featured the Eagles, Saint, Ravens, Chiefs and 49ers with two intra-divisional games against the Falcons before the bye, the Bucs' challenges are more spread out this year. They get an early test in the Eagles in Week 4, at the Seahawks in Week 5, hosting the Niners in Week 6 and at the Lions in Week 7. It heats up again for a minute in Weeks 11 and 12 with the Bills and Rams.
Circle this date
Week 1 at the Falcons, and Week 15 hosting the Falcons. The Bucs lost a 36-30 in a "Thursday Night Football" matchup that went to overtime in Atlanta in Week 5 last season and then suffered a 31-26 home loss to the Falcons in Week 8, but none of those games were against quarterback Michael Penix Jr. It should be noted that as head coach of the Bucs, Todd Bowles has never lost a season opener.
Key stretch
The Bucs have had back-to-back seasons featuring four-game slides starting at roughly midseason before turning it on in the end, and they can certainly do it here when you consider that after Week 12 at the Rams, four out of their final six games are at home and just one of the two road games is out of state. Minimal travel in December is a nice perk.
Bold prediction
I'm not sure how bold this is considering it's wide receiver Mike Evans, one of the most consistently available receivers in the league, but it's still pretty darn cool: Evans breaks Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice's record for most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with 12. The two are currently tied, with Evans overcoming a three-game absence last season because of a hamstring injury to get 1,000 yards on the final play of the regular season.
Home cooking?
The Bucs went 5-4 last season at home, tied with the Rams for the worst home record among playoff teams. The year before in 2023, they went 4-4 at home, also the worst home record among playoff teams. But that could change in 2025, as only one of their home opponents this year actually reached the playoffs and finished with a winning record: the Eagles, who went 14-3 last season, with one of their defeats coming against Bucs in Tampa in Week 4.