Briefly give us the power to make changes to the Buccaneers' 2025 schedule and we would consider such issues as the timing of the Rams game and Tampa Bay's Thanksgiving drought

Earlier on Thursday we took a moment to thank NFL schedule-makers, and their battalion of cloud-based computers, for some of the things we liked most about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' just-released 2025 schedule. For instance, I was pretty pleased and I bet the Buccaneers' coaches are, too that at least of the team's six home games will kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET.

Of course, a good NFL schedule is like a good MLB trade: It is probably best if no one involved is completely happy. The Buccaneers' string of early-afternoon games at home, for instance, comes at the expense of having all three of their Sunday or Monday night games on the road. That's not ideal, particularly in regard to travel and how the following week's schedule is affected.

So we're not really here to complain; who the Bucs are playing is far more important than the dates and times, and we've known that list since January. One way or another, 17 games are going to be played. But if we took some time to point out our favorite parts of the schedule, it's appropriate to look at the other side of the coin. Are there some things on that slate we would change if we could? Sure. So let's pretend we can.

As Staff Writer/Reporter Brianna Dix, Buccaneers.com Contributor Gabriel Kahaian and are continue our series of schedule-related Roundtable discussions, we now turn our attention to aspects of the fall rundown we didn't like as much. This is the second in our series of five Roundtable debates. Here's the run-down for the whole series:

Thursday, May 15:What one thing would you most like to thank the NFL schedule makers for this year?

Thursday, May 15:What is one thing you would change about the Bucs' schedule if you had the power?

Friday, May 16:What is your most anticipated game on the Bucs' 2024 schedule?

Friday, May 16:Who is the most interesting rookie the Buccaneers will face on their 2024 schedule?

The three of us are not allowed to duplicate answers, so the order in which we go in this discussion could impact the outcome. Therefore, we are rotating that order from article to article, and this time it's my turn to go first.

Scott Smith: Send the Bucs to Detroit for Thanksgiving

I really thought this was the year. The Buccaneers have only played on Thanksgiving once, and that was 19 years ago. They've never visited Detroit on Turkey Day. If it was ever going to happen, why not this year, when the Bucs are on the Lions' home schedule, Tampa Bay is riding a string of five straight playoff seasons and the two teams have an entertaining recent history to build on.

Instead, the NFL got really creative, sendingyepthe Green Bay Packers to Ford Field for another Thanksgiving showdown. Who wants to see Packers-Lions again? (Okay, that actually sounds very entertaining and highlights a classic rivalry, but whatever.)

And it's not as if the league didn't recognize the excitement that Buccaneers-at-Lions is likely to generate. These two prime NFC contenders will get the Monday Night Football spotlight in Week Seven instead, which is pretty great, too. That's definitely one of the highlights of this year's Buccaneer schedule, so I can't complain too much.

But a Thanksgiving game in Detroit would have been even more fun, and while it would have entailed a short week leading up to it, which I imagine the team's coaches wouldn't be too crazy about, it would also be followed by a "mini-bye" over the weekend, giving the Bucs a little more time to recover before what could be a frantic six-week stretch run that features four NFC South opponents.

I'm greedy, I know. The gravy on my Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing will have to catch my tears of frustration.

Gabriel Kahaian: Swap Week 12 in Los Angeles with Week 13 vs. Arizona

The Bucs will play back-to-back road games four times throughout the 2025 NFL season. This is the first time in over 20 years the Bucs will have four separate instances of consecutive road games in the same regular season. My one change would be to fix that. I would move up the Week 13 game against Arizona one spot to break up the challenging stretch of Week 11 in Buffalo and Los Angeles in Week 12.

Usually, a trip to face the Bills is not an awful one (I have heard Western New York is quite nice!). The issue arises when you add a five-plus hour flight the next week to California so you can play a Sunday Night Football matchup on Pacific Standard Time. Then when the game ends, you board a plane that same night and get back the next day at around six in the morning.

Tampa Bay is rewarded for that tough timing with three straight home games Weeks 13 through 15. I suggest that the schedule-makers take one of those games and place it in between Weeks 11 and 12. I had three to choose from between the Cardinals, Saints and Falcons. I eliminated Atlanta since that game is on Thursday Night Football, so I kept them at Week 15. I ultimately chose Arizona because having three NFC South games at home in the final five weeks gives us a significant home-field advantage down the stretch. Facing Arizona in Week 12 would be a great way to provide the Bucs with reprieve in the second half of the season.

Brianna Dix: Swap Week 8 at New Orleans with Week 5 at Seahawks

I wish the Buccaneers had their first matchup with the Saints earlier in the 2025 slate than Week Eight so that the NFC South foe had less time to figure out its quarterback situations before the division rivalry is renewed. The process of finding 'The Guy' to take over for the retired Derek Carr will likely take a few weeks, which means it could also take a bit for the Saints' offense to find its groove. Thus, I would like to swap Tampa Bay's road matchup in Week Eight with the Saints to Week Five, where the Bucs currently have a road matchup with the Seahawks. This would have the added benefit of placing the matchup with Seattle and the long plane ride just before the bye week, which creates optimal timing for the Buccaneers.

Second-round pick Tyler Shough will compete for the starting signal-caller duties with 2024 fourth-round pick Spencer Rattler and 2023 fourth-round selection Jake Haener. The Saints provided themselves with an insurance policy in the 2025 NFL Draft by selecting Shough with the uncertainty surrounding Carr and his shoulder injury. The Saints' quarterback room is young and inexperienced, prompting an intriguing offseason battle. Having the opportunity to capitalize on their scenario by playing the Saints earlier in the schedule before the team irons out issues would have likely created a favorable scenario for Tampa Bay on the road as Todd Bowles mercilessly sends blitzers on whoever is under center in the Superdome. That may be petty, I know; however - for Bucs fans when it comes to the Saints, tlhings are expected to get chippy.