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The Carolina Panthers visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a battle between NFC teams on Sunday afternoon at the Raymond James Stadium. The Panthers head to this game after a competitive defeat against the Las Vegas Raiders last week. Likewise, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming off a week 1 loss against the New Orleans Saints. Tom Brady tossed two picks in his Tampa Bay debut. These teams split their 2 meetings of the 2019 season.
Carolina Panthers
Carolina was a three-point underdog against Las Vegas but they lost by four points at home. Terry Bridgewater had a good debut for his new team. Bridgewater earned the starting job here after an impressive run filling in for an injured Drew Brees in New Orleans last season. The 27-year old finished with 270 passing yards with one touchdown.
The Panthers have one of the best running backs in the NFL in Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey rushed for 1,387 yards during the 2019 season and picked up 96 yards in their game last week. Robby Anderson also had an impressive debut last week as he caught 115 yards. Anderson tallied 710 receiving yards with the Jets last season. Carolina’s offense totaled 388 yards last week.
With Luke Keuchly retired, Shaq Thompson is Carolina’s defensive stud and is their new leader in the linebacker position. Thompson had 12 tackles in Sunday’s loss. The Panthers averaged 21.3 points per game last season, ranked 20th overall in the NFL. They gave up an average of 29.4 points per game, 31st in the league.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
There was plenty of pressure on the Buccaneers when they played their first game of the season. Tampa Bay created a lot of noise during the offseason after acquiring Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and then Leonard Fournette. But the expectations were not met as they dropped a 34-23 contest to the New Orleans Saints in a game where Tampa Bay was a four-point underdog.
The 42-year old Brady passed for 239 yards with two touchdowns. However, he was picked off twice by the Saints defense. Ronald Jones II had 17 carries for 66 yards. Jones rushed for 724 yards last season. However, wide receiver Mike Evans was only targeted four times last week after picking up 1,110 yards in 13 games last season. Chris Godwin had six catches for 79 yards while Scottie Miller had five catches for 73 yards.
Defensively, Tampa Bay did a good job of limiting Drew Brees and Michael Thomas. Lavonte David and Devin White had 11 tackles. The Bucs ranked third in the NFL in scoring last season at 28.6 points per game. They were 28th overall in defense with an average of 28.1 points per game allowed.
Who Wins?
Carolina is 0-9 SU in their last nine games played. The Panthers are 0-5 SU in their last five games played on the road, and 1-5 SU in their last six games played against the NFC South division. Tampa Bay is 7-13 SU in their last 20 games played. The Buccaneers are 2-5 SU in their last seven games played in September, and 4-1 SU in their last five Week 2 games. Head to head, the Panthers are 10-4 SU in their last 14 games played against the Buccaneers.
Bridgewater’s first game with Carolina went well as not only did he produce the numbers but he also created good chemistry with 115 receiving yards and one touchdown. Christan McCaffrey also picked up where he left off with 134 total yards with two touchdowns.
Tom Brady’s debut for the Bucs didn’t go well. He did well with 239 passing yards and two touchdowns but got picked off twice. However, one of the interceptions can be attributed to Mike Evans who stopped running the route when Brady threw the pass. Leonard Fournette wound up with only five rushings yards and Tampa needed to do better to win games.
Both these games have potentially explosive offenses. However, both defenses can be exploited. Between the two, I think Tampa Bay is better. I like Brady to do better in his second game which is also his first home game as a member of the Bucs.
Prediction: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Other Bets To Make
The Panthers are 0-5-1 ATS in their last six games played. Carolina is 0-5 ATS in their last five games played on the road. The Buccaneers are 1-5 ATS in their last six games played against the NFC South Division and 3-2-2 ATS in their last seven games overall. Head to head, Carolina is 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games played. The Panthers are 5-1 ATS in their last six road games against the Buccaneers.
Panthers
+9.5 (-110)
Buccaneers
-9.5 (-110)
Odds from BetOnline as of 09/16/2020
Despite Tampa Bay playing at home, I think that the spread is too large. No, the Panthers aren’t a threat this season but they should be a competitive team this year. Carolina scored 30 points against the Raiders. Tampa Bay allowed 28 points per game last season and was last in defending the pass. With Bridgewater and McCaffrey, I think they can keep this close, and while the Bucs will win, it will be by less than a touchdown.
Prediction: Panthers +9.5
The total has gone over in six out of the last seven games played by the Panthers. Carolina has seen the total go over in five out of their last seven games played in September, and the over is 5-0 in their last five games against the NFC. The total has gone over in 13 out of the last 15 games played by Tampa Bay. The over is 5-1 in their last six games played at home. The total has gone over in each of the last 10 games played by Tampa Bay. Head to head, the under is 6-4 in the last 10 meetings between these two teams.
Over
48 (-110)
Under
48 (-110)
Odds from BetOnline as of 09/16/2020
The over is 9-2 in Tampa Bay’s last 11 early afternoon games played. Tampa Bay may have an improved offense but their defense is suspect. This team was among the worst in defenses last season and gave up 34 points last week. On the other hand, the Panthers have a decent offense with Bridgewater and McCaffrey. Defensively, the Panthers are just as bad as Tampa Bay. They have conceded at least 28 points in eight consecutive games and the over is 6-0 in their last six divisional games. I expect Brady to play better in his second game with Tampa Bay but the Panthers should be able to keep up before ultimately losing.
Prediction: Over 48
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