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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers kick off the season against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday afternoon, when Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota will both take the field in their first real NFL game. The number one and number two draft picks going against each other as starting quarterbacks is not something you see every day, and certainly not on opening day of an NFL season.
Of course, there's a lot more to this game than just Winston vs. Mariota. For instance, there's Winston vs. Dick LeBeau's zone blitzes. Will the Bucs have prepared him well enough to recognize what's happening, and can the offensive linemen adjust to all the movement they're about to see from the defense? And can Marcus Mariota be patient enough to dissect the Tampa 2 defense, or will he succumb to the pass pressure of Gerald McCoy and company?
Beyond that, the Bucs are hoping to actually make a run for the playoffs this season -- as are the Titans, undoubtedly. That means having to play a complete game, with quality play on defense, offense and special teams -- something neither team could do last year. Both have improved this offseason, but it's always hard to judge just how much of that apparent improvement will carry over to the regular season. We'll find out on Sunday.
Here's everything you need to watch the game.
Nuts and bolts
Game time: 4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday, September 13
Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.
TV: CBS. TV coverage maps here.
Announcers: Andrew Catalon, Steve Beuerlein, Steve Tasker
Radio: 103.5 WFUS and 620 WDAE
Online streaming: NFL Game Pass
Odds: Buccaneers -3
Enemy blog: Music City Miracles
Twitter: @Bucs_Nation
Facebook: Please like us!
Injuries
Wide receiver Mike Evans (hamstring) and defensive end T.J. Fatinikun (shoulder) have both missed two practices and are unlikely to play on Sunday for the Buccaneers. The Titans were missing Jason McCourty (groin) and Sammie Lee Hill (knee). Their final injury status should be out later today.