How to Watch the 2021 NFL Season Kickoff — Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Dallas Cowboys Live Stream Online

Brandon ContesSep 9th, 2021, 6:14 pm

Tom Brady leads the Bucs in kicking off the 2021 NFL season

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Following a year ravaged by the global pandemic, the NFL is eager to kick off its 2021 regular season by welcoming fans back into their stadiums at full capacity. Desperate to watch the season play out unscathed, the NFL required all staff and coaches to get vaccinated, while reporting 93 percent of their players have chosen to receive the jab.

2021 will usher in a new era for the NFL, as the league boasts a 17-game regular season schedule for the first time. Still keeping with tradition, the defending champions will ceremoniously begin the regular season on their home field, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Dallas Cowboys at Raymond James Stadium.

The Bucs open their title defense led by star quarterback Tom Brady, who begins pursuit of his eight Super Bowl ring at the age of 44. Starting his second season in Tampa following two decades in New England, Brady has showed no signs of slowing down. No NFL team has repeated as Super Bowl champions since Brady accomplished the feat with the Patriots in 2003 and 2004.

Dallas, meanwhile, looks to improve off a frustrating 2020 season, which began with high expectations, but ended with a disappointing 6-10 record. In his second season as head coach, former Super Bowl champion Mike McCarthy will be expected to deliver a postseason run for the Cowboys, led by returning quarterback Dak Prescott, who missed most of the 2020 season with injury. Prescott brings elevated expectations into the season after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones signed him to a monster 4-year $160 million contract.

The game kicks off at 8:20 p.m. ET with Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth on the call. The action will be streamed live on the NBC Live Stream, NBC Sports Live, and on mobile devices via the NBC apps available for iOS and Google Play. A cable subscription is required for the NBC Sports stream. NBC will also offer the game on its new subscription streaming platform Peacock.