The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will begin their 2022 postseason run in prime time. On Sunday evening, the NFL announced its schedule for the first round of the playoffs and the Buccaneers' meeting with the Dallas Cowboys will cap the action on the evening of Monday, January 16. Kickoff at Raymond James Stadium is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET.
The Buccaneers and Cowboys will play just the second Monday night postseason game in NFL history. The league added that wrinkle to the first week of the playoffs last January, with the eventual-champion Los Angeles Rams hosting the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium.
The Buccaneers will play at least one playoff game at home for the third season in a row. They famously became the first team in league history to play a Super Bowl – and win – in their own home stadium at the end of the 2020 campaign, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9 in Super Bowl LV. Last January, the Buccaneers opened the playoffs with a 31-15 win over the Philadelphia Eagles at Raymond James Stadium.
The Buccaneers are 4-3 all-time in postseason games played at Raymond James Stadium. They won Divisional Round contests there following the 1999 and 2002 seasons, over Washington and San Francisco, respectively, both times after earning a first-round bye. They lost Wild Card round matchups at home in 2005 to Washington and 2007 to the New York Giants. After beating the Eagles last year, the Bucs lost at home to the eventual-champion L.A. Rams in the Divisional Round.
The Buccaneers will play the Cowboys in the postseason for the first time, but it will be their first such meeting in 40 years. Dallas eliminated the Buccaneers from the playoffs after the 1981 and 1982 seasons, both times in Texas.
The NFL's "Super Wild Card Weekend" will begin with two games on Saturday, January 14. The second-seeded San Francisco 49ers will host the seventh-seeded Seattle Seahawks to start the NFC side of things, and the Los Angeles Chargers will travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars on the AFC's 4-5 matchup. On Sunday, number-seven Miami will play at number-two Buffalo to start a triple-header, followed by the New York Giants (#6) at the Minnesota Vikings (#3) in the NFC. The Sunday night matchup will be an AFC affair, with sixth-seeded Baltimore going to third-seeded Cincinnati for a rematch of their Week 18 showdown.
Full Wild Card Round Schedule:
Saturday, January 14
NFC: 4:30 PM (ET) - 7 Seattle at 2 San Francisco (FOX, FOX Deportes)
AFC: 8:15 PM (ET) - 5 Los Angeles Chargers at 4 Jacksonville (NBC, Peacock, Universo)
Sunday, January 15
AFC: 1:00 PM (ET) - 7 Miami at 2 Buffalo (CBS, Paramount+)
NFC: 4:30 PM (ET) - 6 New York Giants at 3 Minnesota (FOX, FOX Deportes)
AFC: 8:15 PM (ET) - 6 Baltimore at 3 Cincinnati (NBC, Peacock, Telemundo)
Monday, January 16
NFC: 8:15 PM (ET) - 5 Dallas at 4 Tampa Bay (ESPN/ABC, ESPN2-Manningcast, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes)
