The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers will go head-to-head on the grass at Bank of America Stadium. Kickoff for this game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch the action by tuning in to FOX.
Betting Preview: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers
Tampa Bay is a live dog and is currently getting 7 points in this Sunday NFC game. The Buccaneers are also receiving +230 moneyline odds while the Panthers are -280. It appears that there should be some decent live betting opportunities for this contest, and Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 54 points.
Betting odds have shifted some from where they were initially set. The line opened at -7 and the game’s O/U was set originally at 53.5.
Each team has posted a positive return this season as the Buccaneers have gained 1.4 units and the Panthers are up 3.8 units.
The Buccaneers are 3-4 straight up (SU), including 1-1 SU against NFC South opponents. The Panthers are 5-2 SU overall and 0-1 SU versus divisional foes.
The Buccaneers hope to get back on track after a narrow 37-34 loss to Cincinnati last week. The passing game wasn’t where it needed to be as the Buccaneers completed 29-of-50 passes for 470 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions. Jameis Winston went 18-for-35 for 276 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions while Ryan Fitzpatrick completed 11-of-15 for 194 yards and two touchdowns. Peyton Barber (85 rushing yards on 19 attempts, one TD) led the running attack in the loss. Adam Humphries (seven receptions, 76 yards) and Mike Evans (six catches, 179 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties.
Carolina enters this one after just getting a lopsided 36-21 win over Baltimore in Week 8. The Panthers defense allowed the Ravens to rush for 101 yards on 18 attempts, along with one rushing TD. Alex Collins was a bright spot in the loss for Baltimore, posting 49 rushing yards and a score on 11 attempts. For Carolina, Cam Newton completed 21-of-29 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns. Christian McCaffrey (45 yards on 14 rush attempts, one TD) and the signal-caller Newton (52 yards on 10 carries, one TD) spearheaded the ground attack in the win while D.J. Moore (five receptions, 90 yards) and Greg Olsen (four catches, 56 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching attack.
Tampa Bay’s run the ball on 36.8 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Carolina has an overall rush percentage of 44.3 percent. The Buccaneers have rushed for 91.3 yards/game (including 116.5 per game against South opponents) and have five touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Panthers are logging 138.9 rush yards per game (121.0 in conference) and have seven total rushing TDs.
If the results so far this season can translate to this game, then it’s looking like the Panthers should hold an advantage when it comes to applying pressure. Their offensive line has yielded just 10 sacks while the D-line has logged 18 sacks. The Buccaneers O-line has allowed 21 sacks and their defense has got to opposing QBs on just 16 occasions.
The Bucs offensive scheme has logged a ridiculous 390.1 yards per contest through the air overall (406.0 per game versus conference opposition) and has 19 passing TDs so far. The Panthers have put up 237.0 pass yards per game (335 against NFC foes) and have 13 total pass scores.
Defensively, Tampa Bay has let opponents run for an average of 96.9 yards and pass for 332.9 yards per game. The Carolina defense has given up 269.7 yards per game to opposing passers and 95.9 yards per game to opposing runners. The Panthers are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.97 to opponents, while the Buccaneers have given up a whopping 9.16 ANY/A.
Newton has been more efficient than Winston lately. His adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 6.62 for the year and 7.84 over his last two games while Winston’s ANY/A is 5.13 (and 3.63 over the last two outings).
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers Free Prediction
SU Winner: Buccaneers, ATS Winner: Buccaneers, O/U: Under
Team Betting Trends
- The O/U for Tampa Bay’s last game was 55. The over cashed in the team’s 37-34 loss to Cincinnati.
- Tampa Bay, as a team, has produced 4.6 yards per carry across its past three games and 4.1 over its last two.
- Carolina has averaged 5.2 yards per carry over its last three outings and 5.5 over its last two.
- Carolina has lost three fumbles this season while Tampa Bay has lost four.
- Over its last three games, Tampa Bay is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for Carolina’s last matchup was 44. The over cashed in the team’s 36-21 victory over Baltimore.
- In its last three games, Carolina is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- Carolina has won five of its last six games SU, with a -6-point defeat to Washington on October 14th representing its lone loss over that stretch.
- The Buccaneers offense has produced 10 pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Panthers have put up one such play.
- Both teams have allowed three pass plays of 40+ yards. The Tampa Bay defense has given up 15 pass plays of 30+ yards while Carolina has permitted eight such plays.
- The Tampa Bay offense has created three rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Carolina has created five such runs.
- The Buccaneers defense has allowed seven rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Panthers have given up five such runs.
- The Carolina defense has tallied 18 sacks on the year while Tampa Bay has 16.
