Todd Monken Brings Browns to Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week Two
The tampa bay buccaneers will open 2026 in Cincinnati, then come home to Raymond James Stadium for three straight games. Cleveland visits in Week Two on Sept. 20, starting a stretch that also brings Minnesota and Green Bay to Tampa.
That early run matters because Tampa Bay will not see an NFC South opponent until Week Seven, leaving the first month of the schedule packed with unfamiliar matchups and little division breathing room.
Todd Monken Returns to Tampa
Week Two brings Todd Monken back to Tampa Bay as Cleveland's new head coach. He was the Buccaneers' offensive coordinator from 2016 to 2018 under Dirk Koetter, and the Browns will make their first appearance at Raymond James Stadium since 2018.
The matchup lands on Sept. 20, with Minnesota set for Week Three on Sept. 27 and Green Bay following in Week Four on Oct. 4. Those three games form the homestand that defines Tampa Bay's opening month at home.
Raymond James Stadium Crowd
Tampa Bay will play nine home games at Raymond James Stadium in 2026, and five of the visiting teams reached the playoffs in 2025. Green Bay, Pittsburgh, Carolina, the L.A. Chargers and the Rams all bring postseason résumés into the building.
Three of the first five visitors will be led by first-year head coaches, adding another layer to a home slate that starts with Cleveland and Minnesota before the schedule tightens later in the year. Pittsburgh is waiting on word from Aaron Rodgers and also drafted Drew Allar in the third round, while Atlanta signed Tua Tagovailoa amid uncertainty after Michael Penix tore his ACL last November.
Carolina at Raymond James
Carolina's trip on Nov. 30 is the one marked for prime time, set for Monday Night Football after the Panthers ended Tampa Bay's four-year run as division champions on a tiebreaker over the Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons in 2025.
Most of Tampa Bay's home games will start at 1:00 p.m. ET, while Minnesota's visit is listed for a 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff and the Week 17 home game against the Rams has not yet been given a start time. Matthew Stafford and Los Angeles will be making their fourth trip to Tampa since the 2020 season, and that late-season slot could carry the most weight once the early homestand is over.
The Buccaneers now get a clear early test at home: Cleveland, Minnesota and Green Bay before the NFC South shows up on the calendar. For a team that starts on the road in Cincinnati, the opening month asks for quick answers at Raymond James Stadium.
