The 7-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers head to Charlotte this weekend to take on the 7-7 Carolina Panthers in a battle for first place in the NFC South. This is the first of two head-to-head meetings between the two clubs in the last three weeks, as the Bucs seek a fifth straight NFC South crown and the Panthers try to knock them from that perch. To find out how to watch, listen and livestream the game, click here.
From a purely betting standpoint, one analyst points out that Carolina is already 3-1 this season when it has been considered the underdog at home, which is sobering. Some experts like the flashes of excellence the Panthers of shown while otherwise being up-and-down the past two months. One points out that Baker Mayfield is 4-0 as a Bucs starter against his former team and that he now has his full cast of wide receivers available to him. Does Tampa Bay have a sense of urgency? One analyst who sided with Carolina thinks not. However, both teams have been good in games decided by seven points or less (6-2 for the Panthers, 6-3 for the Buccaneers).
The Buccaneers are 3.0-point favorites on the road and the analysts are very much split on the outcome, though most agree it will be a very close game. Here’s what some of them are predicting will occur on Sunday afternoon at Bank of America Stadium:
NFL.com – Among five experts, only Brooke Cersosimo dissents, predicting a one-point Carolina win
ESPN.com – With nine picks in among the assembled experts, six go to the Buccaneers
CBSSports.com – Pete Prisco likes the Bucs offense vs. Panthers defense better and picks Tampa Bay
USA Today – Six prognosticators gather…and split this one right down the middle
Bleacher Report – The spread is too much for five of seven, who take the points and the home team
Pro Football Talk – Getting back to tradition, Mike Florio picks for Bucs, Chris Simms against
Sports Illustrated – It’s another 3-3 split among a half-dozen analysts
Sporting News – Bill Bender foresees a five-point Bucs win in a high-scoring game
Dan Parr of NFL.com breaks down the uncertainty prognosticators are having about this game:
“If you take nothing else away from this blurb, it should be that neither of these teams are trustworthy. The Bucs are in a complete tailspin, losing five out of six, including last week’s debacle at home, when they blew a 14-point fourth quarter lead against the Falcons. The Panthers are perhaps the most up and down team in the league, and they just squandered a 10-point third-quarter lead to the Saints. But one of these squads is going to emerge from the game as the NFC South leader with two weeks left in the regular season. My gut tells me the Bucs will respond to being called out by Todd Bowles and step up with a better defensive effort, at least. My concern is Baker Mayfield doesn’t appear to be right, and he’s missing throws he was making in the first half of the season. If that doesn’t change on Sunday, Carolina could easily notch its first win over Tampa Bay since 2022.”
