Buccaneers vs. Eagles 2016 live stream: Game time, TV schedule and how to watch online

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles have new head coaches, and both teams are looking to rebound from disappointing 2015 campaigns. They’ll face each other on Thursday night trying to get the preseason started off on the right note.

The Chip Kelly era in Philadelphia had many highs and lows, often within the same game. Kelly won personnel powers last offseason and aggressively remade the roster in his image, but his team never clicked. The Eagles fired Kelly just one week before the end of the regular season, finishing with a 7-9 record.

Replacing Kelly is Doug Pederson, getting his first head coaching gig after three seasons as the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive coordinator. The Eagles seemingly went out of their way to distance themselves from Kelly’s big roster moves. Linebacker Kiko Alonso and cornerback Byron Maxwell were traded to the Miami Dolphins, while running back DeMarco Murray got shipped to the Tennessee Titans.

But it’s quarterback that has the most intrigue right now. Sam Bradford is penciled in as the starter, but the Eagles brought in Chase Daniel on a not-cheap contract and traded up to No. 2 in the draft to select Carson Wentz. Wentz is unlikely to be the Week 1 starter, but Eagles fans will be keen to see how he performs in the preseason.

Jameis Winston’s rookie year was mostly a success, but the Bucs fizzled out down the stretch, losing their last four games to finish 6-10. After Tampa unexpectedly fired Lovie Smith, offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter got the in-house promotion to head coach. It’s a good bit of continuity for Winston but carries some risk — Koetter was last a head coach in 2006, leading Arizona State to a 40-34 record in six seasons. He has never been a head coach at the NFL level.

Between Winston, running back Doug Martin and wide receiver Mike Evans, the Bucs have a promising offensive core in place. However, the defense continued to hold them back, allowing the seventh-most points in the league last year. That unit must take a big step forward if the Bucs are to emerge as legitimate playoff contenders.

To that end, Tampa shored up its defense in the draft, taking cornerback Vernon Hargreaves in the first round and defensive end Noah Spence in the second round. They also took a kicker in the second round, but hey, Robert Aguayo is supposed to be one of the best in the league already.

This is just the first preseason game, so we shouldn’t expect to see the starters beyond a few series, if that. Pederson has already ruled out 10 players, including left tackle Jason Peters, safety Malcolm Jenkins and wide receiver Jordan Matthews. But after a long, painful offseason, just the sight of football will be enough for many fans to tune in for a little bit.

Both Eagles and Bucs fans have reasons to be excited about their teams this season, and this game is just a small appetizer of what’s to come.

When: 7 p.m. ET

Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia

TV: CSN Philadelphia, WTTA 38 (Tampa)

Announcers: Scott Graham, Mike Mayock (Philadelphia feed); Chris Myers, Ronde Barber (Tampa feed)

Online: NFL Game Pass