Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Atlanta Falcons: preview, kickoff time and how to follow
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers meet Atlanta Falcons in the NFL. It is a Week 16 fixture. Kickoff is Sunday 27 December 2026 at 10:00 pm.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons both play in the National Football Conference – South.
The score on this page updates by itself once the game starts, so there is no need to reload. When the final whistle goes the result stays here, along with Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons coverage from the newsrooms we follow.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to Atlanta to face the Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Week 16 of the 2026 season.
The kickoff time and TV channel aren’t set yet, and that’s not an oversight — it’s how Week 16 works. The NFL designates four matchups in that week without fixing their slots in advance. Two get moved to Saturday, at 4:30 PM ET and 8:00 PM ET on NFL Network. The rest land on Thursday night, Sunday afternoon, Sunday night or Monday night, depending on what the league wants in each window.
Those decisions are announced no later than immediately after Week 14. Until then, any specific date you see for this fixture is a guess rather than a confirmation.
Why the NFL does this
Late-season scheduling is built around playoff races rather than convenience. By Week 16 the league knows which games actually matter, and it wants those in the windows with the largest audiences — Sunday night, Saturday primetime — rather than committing to a matchup in May that might be meaningless by December.
For a game like this one, that cuts both ways. An NFC South fixture between two teams still chasing the division would be attractive for a primetime slot. The same fixture between two teams already eliminated would likely end up in a Sunday afternoon window with limited national coverage.
One of the league’s closest rivalries
What this fixture does have, regardless of when it’s played, is history — and it’s remarkably even.
Tampa Bay and Atlanta have met 65 times since their first game in November 1977, which Atlanta won 17–0. Across nearly fifty years, the all-time series stands at 33 wins to Atlanta, 32 to Tampa Bay — a single game separating them.
The most recent meeting was similarly tight. Atlanta won 29–28 in December 2025, decided by one point.
The series has produced its lopsided days too. Tampa Bay’s largest win came in 1987, 48–10. Atlanta’s was 56–14 in 2014, still the most points either side has scored in the fixture. Tampa Bay hold the longest winning streak at six straight between 1997 and 2003; Atlanta have twice managed five in a row.
What’s at stake
Both teams are in the NFC South, which makes this a division game — and division results carry weight beyond the win column. Every team plays its three division rivals twice, and those six results are the first tiebreaker when playoff seeding is decided.
A Week 16 division game is therefore worth more than its position in the standings suggests. With two weeks left in the regular season, it can settle a tiebreaker that determines who plays in January.
Where to watch, once it’s confirmed
The channel depends entirely on which slot the NFL assigns:
Saturday on NFL Network — available through NFL+ or a live TV package carrying the channel.
Sunday afternoon — either CBS or FOX. Both are broadcast networks, so an antenna picks them up free. CBS games stream on Paramount+, FOX on FOX One.
Sunday night on NBC — free over the air, streaming on Peacock.
Monday night on ESPN — no free option, since ESPN is a cable channel.
Thursday night on Amazon — Prime Video, included with a standard Prime subscription.
Whichever it lands on, out-of-market viewers can also use NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV for Sunday afternoon games, or NFL+ for mobile and tablet viewing.
What to check closer to the game
After Week 14, the NFL confirms the date, time and network. That’s the point this page becomes definitive.
Wednesday to Friday of game week, injury reports are published and updated. For a late-December division game, availability often matters more than form.
The standings, since what’s at stake shapes everything about this fixture — including, in a real sense, when it gets played.
Starters to know
Tampa Bay Buccaneers start Baker Mayfield (QB), Bucky Irving (RB), Emeka Egbuka (WR), Cade Otton (TE). Atlanta Falcons start Tua Tagovailoa (QB), Bijan Robinson (RB), Drake London (WR), Kyle Pitts (TE).
Injury watch
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Josh Hayes (IR. Injured Reserve. Expected Return Week 5), David Sills V (IR. Injured Reserve. Expected Return Week 5), Rueben Bain Jr. (Questionable For Week 1 At Cincinnati), Billy Schrauth (Questionable For Week 1 At Cincinnati).
Atlanta Falcons: Billy Bowman Jr. (Questionable For Week 1 At Pittsburgh), Michael Penix Jr. (Questionable For Week 1 At Pittsburgh), Anterio Thompson (NFI R For Week 1 At Pittsburgh), Beaux Collins (IR. Injured Reserve. Expected Return Week 5).
Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won 0 of their last 4 games this site has covered. Atlanta Falcons have won 0 of their last 5 games this site has covered.
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Common questions
What time is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Atlanta Falcons game?
Kickoff is 9:00 PM ET, 8:00 PM CT, 7:00 PM MT, 6:00 PM PT.
Is Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Atlanta Falcons a division game?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons both play in the National Football Conference – South.
Where can I follow the live score for Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Atlanta Falcons?
This page updates automatically once the game begins, and shows the final result once it ends.