Buccaneers’ most anticipated games of 2023

The 2023 NFL schedule has been released and with that the Buccaneers now know when they will be playing who and what times and dates. After each schedule release, many people like to look at matchups they are looking forward to, so let's do that with the Bucs shall we?

Week 1 @ Minnesota Vikings, 1:00 PM EST

I know the Vikings aren’t exactly a hot name or a heated rival of the team filled with many storylines, but the Bucs themselves will have plenty of storylines to go around. How will a brand new offensive scheme that Dave Canales is bringing to Tampa Bay do early in the season? How will the young pieces on the defense like Calijah Kancey, Logan Hall and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka fare? Then of course, elephant in the room... who will be the Buccaneers starting quarterback and how will they do in their first showing of the season.

The storylines alone should give Bucs fans reason to anticipate this game with much eagerness and hopefulness.

Week 2 Vs Chicago Bears, 1:00 PM EST

The home opener is always an anticipated game, right? Especially when the opponent is a Bears team that many are curious to see how they perform and whether Justin Fields is a franchise guy or not. Seeing Raymond James Stadium on a Sunday afternoon again is always a welcomed sight and this is no different, regardless of what the team looks like.

Perhaps the Bucs are coming off a big win in Minnesota and are looking to be 2-0. Now that would be something worth anticipating.

Week 3 Vs Philadelphia Eagles, Monday Night Football, 7:15 PM EST

I didn’t want to put three games in a row, but hey blame the schedule makers, not me. Unlike previous years, the Bucs do not have many primetime games, two to be exact so the first one at home deserves to be on this list. Coming to town are the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles and Jalen Hurts. The last time the Bucs saw Hurts, it was in the 2021 playoffs. Now Hurts and the Eagles roster is much improved from that point so it will be a challenging game, but being on Monday Night Football is something that is always cool to see.

Week 6 Vs Detroit Lions, 1:00 PM EST

This one just had to be on this list. I predicted that this would be the creamsicle game and I was right. The Buccaneers announced that the throwback uniforms will be returning to the field in 2023 in this matchup against the Lions. It has been 11 years since Raymond James Stadium was covered in creamsicle orange and it will be a welcomed sight.

Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images

Not to mention seeing all of the current fan favorites like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Vita Vea all rocking the Bucco Bruce style uniform it will be awesome to see. The matchup in the game is also intriguing as the Lions are a popular pick to go to the playoffs this year and Dan Campbell is one of the most energetic and exciting head coaches in the entire league. The game should be a good one, but regardless the Bucs are going to look great playing in those throwbacks once again.

Week 16 Vs Jacksonville Jaguars, 4:05 PM EST

This is a personal pick for me as there is just something about this Jags team that I gravitate towards. Trevor Lawrence will be coming to town and playing the Buccaneers for the first time in his career on Christmas Eve. The Jags roster is loaded with young talent and Doug Pederson has proven to be a great hire for the franchise. At this point in the year, the Bucs may still be competing for a playoff spot so this game may matter a good bit when it comes to the standings.

There were a couple of other candidates that missed the list but I like these five here as solid games to look forward to this fall.

Let us know in the comment section below what game on the Bucs schedule you are most anticipating!