What a week the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had. After Antonio Brown walked off of the field in New York, taking parts of his uniform off and throwing articles of clothing into the stands, Tampa Bay has been in the news all week. With conflicting stories on what truly happened, and now the release of Brown, the Bucs are just looking to get to their game with the Panthers and put this mess behind them.
Carolina can’t wait for their season to end. After starting off the season 3-0, the Panthers have won just two of their last 13 games, good for last place in the NFC South. Matt Rhule has been publicly questioned by the team’s owner, the quarterback position has been a mess, and the Panthers haven’t shown the improvement that Rhule and his staff had hoped for. With all that in mind, let’s take a closer look at both teams and how they arrive to this match so you can get all set to place your bets against their NFL odds.
NFL Betting Preview for Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay
Panthers vs Buccaneers Game Preview
When the Bucs host the Panthers on Sunday, Tampa Bay will have something to play for, while the Panthers will be playing for a higher draft pick. Tampa Bay has already clinched the NFC South, but now they’re looking to move up in the NFC playoff standings. With a win on Sunday, they can move up to the #2 spot. Tampa will need some help from the San Francisco 49ers, but if Tampa can take care of business on their end, at least they have a chance.
Carolina Panthers Analysis
The Sam Darnold trade has not worked out well for Carolina. The Panthers were hoping that offensive coordinator Joe Brady could fix Darnold. When Darnold struggled for multiple weeks, albeit without Christian McCaffrey for many weeks, the Panthers fired Brady. Cam Newton was brought back, and he struggled as well. Darnold is back under center, and Carolina will determine in the offseason whether or not Darnold is the answer.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Analysis
Tampa is in the playoffs, and they will face either San Francisco, Arizona, or Philadelphia. Even though Tom Brady has lost Brown and Chris Godwin, Leonard Fournette is slated to return this weekend. The defense will also get some big names back, as Shaquil Barrett, and Jason Pierre-Paul should be cleared to play on Sunday.
Tampa Bay wants to go into the postseason with as much momentum as possible. They want to get a big win that can help to overshadow the controversy surrounding the team. Tom Brady has to get acclimated to some different receivers, and they’ll want to get Fournette back into the fold.
Prediction
Tampa Bay is an eight-point favorite against Carolina this week. With all of the issues that Carolina has had, it’s easy to see why Tampa is a heavy favorite. In looking at the betting numbers, the Panthers have lost six straight against the spread. In Tampa’s last six games, they are 5-1 against the spread.
The numbers point towards Tampa Bay, and we agree with the numbers. Tampa is playing to win, and Carolina is just playing out the season. The Buccaneers will give their home crowd a treat and beat Carolina 34-17, easily covering the spread.
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