The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are playing what is now becoming the most difficult schedule in the NFL. Dont worry, next year gets better, or at least, it should. Of course we dont know know what teams will be next year, but the NFL since the 2002 realignment has gone with a set schedule that takes the guesswork out it. 14 of the 16 games have already been determined for every NFL team for years and years to come, with the only change being a team moving, or being added or deleted from the league.
The only guess work is the two at large games that are determined based on standings. If the Bucs finish in 3rd place, they will play the 3rd place teams from the two NFC divisions that the Bucs DO NOT play normally next year. One is the NFC South of which the Bucs are a member, and the other is the NFC East, which the Bucs and the entire NFC South are scheduled to play. Remember, when someone says the Bucs had an easy schedule, its the same schedule for the Panthers, Saints and Falcons! We all play the same teams, just it may be different locations.
The AFC division for the NFC South next year is the AFC West.
Bucs will play Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs at home (If Tebow is playing, the game will sell out) while taking on San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders on the road. It’s a rematch of the 2008 last stance of Jon Gruden schedule.
The Bucs will also play at New York Giants and at Dallas Cowboys, while playing at home against the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles. All this in addition to the home and away series with the Saints, Panthers and Falcons.
The only two games still to be determined will be a home game vs the NFC West team and an away game vs NFC North team that finishes in the same place the Bucs do. If the season ended today, that would be home vs either Seattle or Arizona, and away vs Bears or Lions if the Bucs stay in 3rd place as do those other teams. The tie breaking proceedures are done at the end of the year, and then thats when we’ll know for sure who the Bucs play in those two games, but where ever the Bucs fall, we play the teams in the same place. Say New Orleans wins the division, they will play the first place teams in the NFC West and North, location of which I’m not sure of. I only have the Bucs home/away situation memorized.
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