(WCMH) — “Sunday Night Football” is back on NBC4 with a massive NFC matchup as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in Texas to face the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
The return of ‘SNF’ also marks the return of Bucs quarterback Tom Brady, who begins his 23rd NFL season after temporarily retiring for less than two months earlier this year.
Sunday morning, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport reported that sources indicated 2022 is expected to be Brady’s final season as the 45-year-old tries to win his eighth Super Bowl and second in three seasons.
Tampa Bay looked strong defending its 2020 Super Bowl title last season as Brady led the Bucs to a 13-4 regular season. They fell short of another Super Bowl appearance after a 30-27 loss to the eventual champion Los Angeles Rams in an incredible divisional round match.
The Bucs have a new head coach in Todd Bowles, who served as the team’s defensive coordinator for the past three seasons and replaces Bruce Arians, who announced his second retirement earlier this year.
It’ll be a tough Week 1 game for Tampa as the Dallas Cowboys begin its quest to defend the NFC East and make the franchise’s first Super Bowl since 1995.
Head coach Mike McCarthy’s side finished 12-5 last season behind another big season from quarterback Dak Prescott and a historic debut campaign for Defensive Rookie of the Year Micah Parsons. 2021 ended in disappointment for the Cowboys after a 23-17 loss at home to the San Francisco 49ers in the wild card round.
Cowboys fans are hoping they will become the first NFC East team in nearly two decades to defend an division title with a strong offense led by Prescott and former Buckeye running back Ezekiel Elliott alongside a highlight-reel defense.
Last season, Dallas played in Tampa Bay on NBC4 to kick-off the 2021 season with the Bucs winning 31-29 on a last-second field goal from Ryan Succop in a classic NFL opener.
Watch “Sunday Night Football” starting at 7 p.m. on NBC4 or stream it live at NBCSports.com/Live.