Preview and pick for Bucs vs Panthers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to the playoffs, but they are not going to get there in one piece. With injuries on offense, there's a lot of uncertainty. And so we are really not sure how much firepower they're going to have as they take the field against the Carolina Panthers in a game that begins at 1 p.m. Eastern time at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

Remember that at BetAnySports, you can get reduced juice on this game, in addition to real-time wagering during the contest from a variety of different outlets.

Chris Godwin, who had played more offensive snaps than any other receiver and was an absolute stud in the red zone, tore his ACL and is out for the year. Mike Evans is dealing with a hamstring injury. Leonard Fournette is out as well(hamstring). So while it is an exaggeration to say that the Bucs will be going with a skeleton crew, they certainly are not at full strength.

The good news for them is that Antonio Brown has served his suspension and will be available foraction. Brown, who got flagged for producing a fake vaccination card, is someone who is obviously trusted by quarterback Tom Brady, so we would expect that he will see a lot of action and be a key piece of the Tampa Bay offense. Brown has caught four touchdown passes and has 29 receptions overall.

The Panthers were so hopeful at the start of the season, because Sam Darnold, for whom they had dealt a second-round draft choice, was playing well, and Christian McCaffrey, the All-Pro running back who had missed the bulk of the 2020 campaign, was healthy. They won their first three games. But things have gone downhill, offensively speaking.

Darnold injured his shoulder, but he was ineffective prior to that. He'll play some today, although Cam Newton will get the start.

In the NFL betting odds posted on this game by the folks at BetAnySports, Tampa Bay is a double-digit favorite:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 11
Carolina Panthers        + 11

Over 44 points -110
Under 44 points -110

The Bucs are really smarting after losing a 9–0 decision to the New Orleans Saints last time out. That was the first time Brady had suffered a shutout loss as a starting quarterback since the 2006 season. So yes, you might expect that this club will come out of the gate with a certain amount of resolve.

But whether they can really get it done on the offensive end is another question. We saw what could happen last week when Brady is short-handed in terms of weaponry, and when you look at the Carolina team, although they have been somewhat anemic on offense, they have represented themselves rather well on defense. The Panthers are tops in the NFL in yards allowed per drive, and in terms of her drive, they are fourth-best.

Obviously there is a flip side to that, or else this team might be in contention, rather than possessors of a by 5-9 record. Only one team has gained fewer yards per drive on offense then this Carolina squad has, and that certainly wasn't the vision of head coach Matt Rhule when he hired Joe Brady to be the offensive coordinator. Brady has since been fired, and maybe one of the reasons is that he wasn't able to work that well with Newton, who was taking off the scrap heap and give him the starting quarterback job Newton has completed just under 55% of his passes with four touchdowns and four interceptions. He will start this game, but rule has indicated that Darnold will play as well.

Newton has supplied a lot of the ground attack for Carolina, at least last week, as he rushed for 71 yards in a 31-14 lost to Buffalo, Carolina's fourth straight defeat. Chuba Hubbard has not been much in trying to assume the load left by McCaffrey injury absence, as he's gained only 111 yards in his last five appearances.

Yep, it's a bad offensive outlook for the Panthers, and we don't see a lot of production in the rushing game against Tampa Bay's defensive line, which isn't as good as it was last year, but is healthy and still formidable.

Inasmuch as we really don't know what to expect out of Tampa Bay on offense, except for the fact that they will not be as imposing at the wide receiver spot, we are electing to go UNDER with this game.

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