Warren Sapp and the Buccaneers will head to New England to begin their 2000 Super Bowl quest
Super Bowl XXXV will be played in Tampa's own Raymond James Stadium next January, and the Buccaneers would like to become the first home team to appear in the NFL's championship game. Its quest for that berth, however, will begin in Foxboro, Massachusetts, where Tampa Bay's 2000 schedule kicks off on September 3 at 1:00 p.m. EDT.
Tampa Bay, which came within a few minutes of earning a berth in last year's Super Bowl, will play before a national audience on seven occasions, including two appearances on ABC's Monday Night Football. The Buccaneers will travel to Minnesota for a Monday night affair with the Vikings on October 9, then stage an NFC Championship Game rematch with St. Louis in Raymond James Stadium on Monday, December 18.
"Every schedule has its good and bad points and this schedule is no different," said Buccaneers general manager Rich McKay. "The positive aspect of this schedule is that our team and our community will have an opportunity to be a part of several games that will have national exposure."
The Bucs' extensive national exposure will include a string of four consecutive games before a nationwide audience, beginning with a home game against the New York Jets on September 24, to be featured by CBS at 4:15 p.m. The following week, the Buccaneers travel to Washington for a rematch of last January's Divisional Playoff victory over the Redskins, squaring off at 4:15 p.m. on Fox on October 1. The Monday night game against Minnesota follows and, after a bye week, the Bucs finish the string with an ESPN Thursday night contest at home against Detroit at 8:20 p.m.
Tampa Bay, which is looking for its first victory in Green Bay since 1989, will have to wait until the final weekend of the regular season to visit usually-frigid Lambeau Field, taking on the Packers at 1:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve before a Fox national audience. It will mark the first time Tampa Bay has ever played a regular-season finale in Green Bay.
The Buccaneers entire December schedule, in fact, is of notable interest. The month begins with a December 3 home game against Dallas, the first matchup of the Bucs and Cowboys since 1990. Tampa Bay has played every other NFL team at least once since its last meeting with the Cowboys. The team then makes a December 10 visit to Miami for their first road game against the Dolphins since 1991. Potentially crucial contests against St. Louis and Green Bay finish the month.
The Buccaneers entire 2000 schedule, including the previously-released preseason dates and times, follows. To open a printable version of this schedule in an Adobe Acrobat file (.pdf), please click here.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2000 Schedule
| **Preseason (All times Eastern)** | ||||
| Fri. | Aug. 4 | WASHINGTON | 7:30 PM | UPN |
| Thurs. | Aug. 10 | at Miami | 7:00 PM | UPN |
| Sun. | Aug. 20 | at New England | 4:00 PM | Fox |
| Fri. | Aug. 25 | KANSAS CITY | 7:30 PM | UPN |
| **Regular Season (All times Eastern)** | ||||
| Sun. | Sept. 3 | at New England | 1:00 PM | Fox |
| Sun. | Sept. 10 | CHICAGO | 1:00 PM | Fox |
| Sun. | Sept. 17 | at Detroit | 1:00 PM | Fox |
| Sun. | Sept. 24 | N.Y. JETS | 4:15 PM | CBS* |
| Sun. | Oct. 1 | at Washington | 4:15 PM | Fox* |
| Mon. | Oct. 9 | at Minnesota | 9:00 PM | ABC* |
| Sun. | Oct. 15 | BYE | ||
| Thurs. | Oct. 19 | DETROIT | 8:20 PM | ESPN* |
| Sun. | Oct. 29 | MINNESOTA | 1:00 PM | Fox |
| Sun. | Nov. 5 | at Atlanta | 1:00 PM | Fox |
| Sun. | Nov. 12 | GREEN BAY | 4:15 PM | Fox* |
| Sun. | Nov. 19 | at Chicago | 1:00 PM | Fox |
| Sun. | Nov. 26 | BUFFALO | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| Sun. | Dec. 3 | DALLAS | 1:00 PM | Fox |
| Sun. | Dec. 10 | at Miami | 1:00 PM | Fox |
| Mon. | Dec. 18 | ST. LOUIS | 9:00 PM | ABC* |
| Sun. | Dec. 24 | at Green Bay | 1:00 PM | Fox* |
- Nationally-televised games.
