NFL 2021 Kickoff open thread: Cowboys at Buccaneers

The regular season is finally here!

Preseason football may have whetted your appetite, but tonight is the time to indulge on some meaningful NFL action. It kicks off with a battle between the defending champions and America’s Team.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers stunned the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV to secure Tom Brady’s seventh championship ring, his first outside of New England. It was a remarkable run for the Wild Card team, who managed to topple the Saints and Packers en route to the hometown Super Bowl. The Bucs look primed to repeat in 2021 with the return of every single starter from their championship team.

The Cowboys were shadows of themselves last season. Dak Prescott was playing at an otherworldly level before a brutal ankle injury knocked him out for the season. The Cowboys would win four of their final seven games—almost enough to win the pitiful NFC East—but the wins proved fruitless. The only thing those late wins achieved was landing Andy Dalton a starting gig in Chicago. With Prescott hopefully healthy, the Cowboys are looking to capitalize on what should be another weak division.

Here is how to watch tonight’s kickoff of the 2021 NFL season:

Date: Thursday, September 9, 2021
Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
Location: Raymond James Stadium—Tampa, FL
TV: NBC
Announcers: Al Michaels (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (analyst), Michele Tafoya (sidelines)
Online: NBCSports.com