The Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers face off on Sunday in a Week 17 NFL showdown at the Raymond James Stadium. When these two teams faced off on October 23rd it was the Panthers that secured the 21-3 victory.
Carolina comes into this game with a 6-9 record overall and they have gone 8-7 against the spread. The Panthers know if they win out they are going to be in the playoffs, and that starts with this game. In the last game against the Detroit Lions the Panthers scored 37 points on the way to the 14 point victory. D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard both had strong games on the ground to pace the Panthers. Carolina is averaging 20.9 points while their defense is giving up 22.5 points per game. In this game, they are going to need a strong offensive game to find success.
On the other side of this matchup is the Buccaneers who sit with a 7-8 record overall and they have gone 3-11-1 against the spread. In the last game against the Arizona Cardinals it was an ugly game, but they made a late comeback and were able to win 19-16 in overtime. Tom Brady completed 32 of his 48 passes for 281 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. The Buccaneers are averaging 17.7 points while their defense is giving up 20.2 points per game. The Buccaneers only scored three points the last time they faced off against the Panthers, and that won’t be enough to get the job done.
The Panthers are 5-0 against the spread in their last five games against the NFC. The over is 5-0 in the Buccaneers last five games in Week 17th. The under is 4-0 in the Buccaneers last four games against the NFC South.
The Panthers looked really good in the first game against the Buccaneers and they are going to continue that success here. The Buccaneers are going to fall behind again in this game, but in this game they aren’t going to be able to make the comeback. Back the Panthers to cover this spread.
AUTHOR: Shane Mickle
