With the full NFL schedule release cemented in for Wednesday night, we now know who the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will kickoff the NFL season against. The Dallas Cowboys will be coming to Tampa Bay in week one right from the start.

It's been a longstanding tradition for the defending Super Bowl champions to host a week one game on the first Thursday of the NFL season to start the new year and festivities. This is once again the case in 2021 as the Buccaneers will begin their title defense against Dak Prescott and the Cowboys.

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The date is locked in for Thursday, September 9th and there will undoubtedly be some pregame recognition of the Buccaneers winning the Super Bowl in February.

For the Cowboys, they will look to rebound after a miserable 2020 season that featured a gruesome, season-ending injury to their star quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott got big boy paid this offseason and he will now look to back up that faith that Dallas is putting in him by getting the Cowboys back to the playoffs.

The Buccaneers will look to start the season on a high note after hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in 2020. Tampa Bay figures to be right back in the mix for another championship as they return all 22 starters from that Super Bowl winning team a year ago.

A full schedule release is set for later on Wednesday night, but all the week one matchups have slowly made their way to the surface. And what a way to kickoff the 2021 NFL season with the Buccaneers welcoming in the Cowboys to Tampa Bay.