The NFL released its full schedule today and it was revealed the Bucs will open their season on the road against NFC West champion Seattle on Sept. 9.

From there, it doesn't get much easier. Tampa Bay plays games against three division winners in the first five weeks of the season, then has four division games in its final seven contests.

Another highlight: the Bucs are slated to make their first-ever appearance on Sunday Night Football on NBC. That game, scheduled for Dec. 23 at San Francisco, could potentially be moved under the league's flex scheduling applicable in Weeks 11 through 17. Games scheduled for Sunday nights can be adjusted no fewer than 12 days prior if the league wishes to showcase a more attractive contest.

The Bucs play their home opener Sept. 16 against New Orleans in a 1 p.m. kickoff.

One thing the Bucs won't have to contend with: cold weather. Unlike last season, when the Bucs played late-season games in Chicago and Cleveland, the Bucs have no games in cold-weather cities late in the season.

But one area the Bucs would like to improve is their performance out West.

"To me, it's one game at a time as usual," linebacker Derrick Brooks said. "I know we're going to have a couple West Coast games, and we've got to play better out West. We haven't played that well out West since the Super Bowl, and that's going to be an emphasis."

See the full schedule below: