The First Game of the 2021 NFL Season Is Tonight — Who Is Playing and How to Watch

Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty; Mike Ehrmann/Getty

Football finally returns on Thursday with a game between two of the league's premier quarterbacks.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Super Bowl LV champions, will take on the Dallas Cowboys at Raymond James Stadium in Florida on Thursday night. Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady will officially begin his 22nd season in the NFL when he steps onto the field, while Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will make his long-awaited return after being sidelined since suffering a gruesome ankle injury in Oct. 2020.

But those hoping to catch the game in person will have to cough up some serious money — according to ESPN, the average price of tickets for Thursday's game is $582, the highest rate for a Buccaneers game in a decade.

That's why the best place to watch may be at home.

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The game will start at 8:20 p.m. EST on Thursday and will air on NBC and be available to stream on the fubuTV app.

Brady and the Buccaneers are favorites to win tonight's game after having largely kept their team intact during the offseason. The Buccaneers are also playing in Tampa Bay, where, seven months ago, they became the first franchise in NFL history to win the Super Bowl on their home field.

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"In one way, you're not really defending it much, it's kind of in the books. They can't take away what we've done. It's really just a whole other year and experience," 44-year-old Brady recently told the Associated Press.

"We have a lot of continuity. We have a lot of things to build on and a lot more experience together," he added. "That's really all you can ask for as players is to be in the position that we're in. I'd just like us to go out and take advantage of that."

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While Brady is aiming to add an eighth Super Bowl ring to his mantle this season, 28-year-old Prescott is still looking to earn a trip to the playoffs for the first time since the 2018 season.

With all eyes looking at how he'll perform coming back from injury, Prescott said he has prepared himself as much as possible for the moment.

"So much has happened to me in the past two years I wouldn't say I ever thought I was invincible, or didn't realize how vulnerable I was or how precious life is, to be honest with you," Prescott told ESPN. "I am thankful for every moment. When I talk about these small victories, that is just me being thankful for every moment that I have, not taking anything for granted. ... That is part of my mindset that allows me to be here."