Tampa Bay Buccaneers Preseason Schedule 2013: Ravens, Patriots, Dolphins, Redskins facing Tampa Bay

The NFL has released the preseason schedule, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have managed a competitive schedule for themselves. The Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens will visit the Buccaneers in week one, while the perennially contending New England Patriots will host the Bucs in week two -- a game that will be nationally televised on Friday night.

Week three sees the Bucs traveling to Miami for what is traditionally the most important preseason game, where starters get the most playing time. Finally, the Bucs round out their preseason by hosting the Washington Redskins. This will be the fourth preseason in a row that the Buccaneers play the Dolphins, Patriots and Redskins. The Bucs have played the Dolphins in every preseason since at least 2000, while they have never faced the Baltimore Ravens in a preseason.

That's three playoff teams and a massive free agency spender during the preseason -- a pretty competitive schedule and a good test for a team that is looking to get to the playoffs for the first time since the 2007 season.

Full schedule:

Preseason Week 1 (August 8-11): Baltimore Ravens at Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Preseason Week 2 (Friday, August 16, 20:00 PM): Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New England Patriots.

Preseason Week 3 (August 22-25): Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Miami Dolphins.

Preseason Week 4 (August 29-30): Washington Redskins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers.