Cowboys vs. Bucs 2021: Channel, Streaming Info, Projected Viewership For NFL Opener

Thursday night marks the first meaningful NFL game in seven months. The Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to host the Dallas Cowboys in what should be one of the most-watched television events of the year.

The Bucs and Cowboys will officially start the 2021 season at 8:20 p.m. EDT. There are several ways to watch Thursday’s NFL Kickoff Game.

NBC will broadcast the game on regular network TV. A live stream will be available with Peacock, the NBC Sports App, and NBC Sports Live.

More than 20 million people watched last season’s opener between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans. It was the ninth-most viewed TV event of the entire year.

All sports saw their ratings decline during the pandemic in 2020. With a full house at Raymond James Stadium on Thursday, there’s a good chance viewership also will increase.

Ratings were down from the 2019 Kickoff Game between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, which was seen by 22.7 million people. The 2018 Kickoff Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons had an 11.2 rating and 19.0 million viewers on NBC.

Kansas City won the 2020 opener comfortably and went on to play in a second straight Super Bowl. The loss was one of Houston’s 12 for the 2020 season, and the Texans were among the NFL’s most disappointing teams.

Dallas is hoping for a much different outcome as they visit the defending champions to start the year. The Cowboys have high expectations after a 6-10 campaign that was derailed by Dak Prescott’s season-ending ankle injury. The Cowboys are favored to win the NFC East.

Tampa Bay is favored to get back to the Super Bowl as 44-year-old quarterback Tom Brady has shown no signs of slowing down. The Bucs finished the 2020 season on an eight-game winning streak and are the biggest betting favorites on the Week 1 schedule.