Cowboys vs. Buccaneers weather report: Breaking down forecast for season opener

Thursday afternoon weather update: Jenna Laine of ESPN dropped a video from Raymond James Stadium around 12:30 p.m. ET. AccuWeather is projecting showers on and off through the afternoon with showers with the potential evening storm moving back into the 10 p.m. ET hour.

Weather is a key ingredient in formulating a clear-eyed view of any outdoor sporting event. We can sometimes put too much emphasis on the forecast when projecting fantasy football statistics, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be as informed as possible. Knowing that the weather shouldn’t cause a problem is useful, too.

The NFL season is officially set to kick off this week, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football at Raymond James Stadium in Florida. Kick off is set for 8:20 p.m. ET, which is likely a relief for all parties, as the hot Florida heat will have some time to (barely) cool before things get rolling.

By 8 p.m., AccuWeather’s hourly forecast has the temperature falling to 81, down slightly from the day’s high of 86. They’re projecting a 54% chance of precipitation throughout the day, but unfortunately for football fans, there is a chance of a thunderstorm within the 9 o’clock hour. Any lighting could cause a delay of game, but hopefully that delay would be brief given that the forecast is projected to clear by 10 p.m. ET.

Outside of the possibility of a quick thunderstorm, fantasy football managers shouldn’t be concerned about the weather for this year’s season opener. Wind gusts are projected to be up to 10 MPH, but this doesn’t become a cause for concern for a passing attack until approaching closer to 20+ MPH.