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History offers no answers to this new Bucs riddle, so Joe will lean on fans and reality for insight.
During yesterday’s national holy day of the NFL schedule release, the Buccaneers learned the NFL blessed them with three consecutive afternoon games after opening the season at Cincinnati.
**Week 2:** CLEVELAND (Sunday, Sept. 20, 1 p.m.)
**Week 3**: MINNESOTA (Sunday, Sept. 27, 4:05 p.m.)
**Week 4:** GREEN BAY (Sunday, Oct. 4 at 1 p.m.)
Is this a good thing or a curse?
Some Bucs fans will pound their chests and proclaim the Bucs will capitalize on their acclimation to the extreme heat almost guaranteed to be present during those games. Others with more of a sports science background might bemoan the reality that a stretch like that in brutal heat will leave the Bucs as the physically drained roster, and one vulnverable to injuries.
Joe can see both arguments. And yes, the Bucs have a sports science team that studies all this stuff.
What Joe can say with confidence is that the Bucs have started the past four seasons with a 2-0 record. So Todd Bowles and the sports science folks have teamed up to figure out how to have the Bucs ready to start a season strong.
In 2024, the Bucs had three of four games at home to open the season, but not three games in a row. They started 3-1, but one was a Week 2 road win at Detroit.
Some very smart people, and maybe a trained robot or two, will need to figure out how to make sure the Bucs are the freshest team on the field in Week 4 against the Packers — a team coming to Tampa after 10 days rest following a Thursday night game in Green Bay.
In some ways, that could become a key to the 2026 season.