On Sunday, NFC South rivals will go at it as the Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. This game has huge implications for Tampa Bay, as they are looking to get back on top of the NFC South standings. But they will have to play well against an improving Panthers team to put pressure on the Falcons. Tampa Bay is a 7.5-point favorite at home in this contest, while the total for this Panthers vs Buccaneers matchup has been set at 48.5.
Here, you will find our preview of Panthers vs Buccaneers in Week 17 of the NFL season. In this preview, we will give you our keys to this game for both sides, along with our top NFL betting pick for this contest. Using complex NFL betting models, our NFL betting action has been successful throughout this year and we hope to continue that trend in this NFC South showdown.
Up to 220,000 Gold Coins & 10 Sweepstakes Coins
Promo Code: Click To Claim
Panthers Look For Second Straight Win
The Carolina Panthers got a win in overtime against the Arizona Cardinals last week, knocking the Cardinals out of postseason contention. That win moved the Panthers to 4-11 on the season, just one game back of the New Orleans Saints for third place in the NFC South. While NFL betting sites don’t expect the Panthers to win against the Bucs this week, the Panthers are playing better football than they were early in the season and can’t be ruled out in this game either.
For Carolina, keeping Chuba Hubbard going on the ground is going to be their key to this game. Hubbard rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns against the Cardinals, including the game-winner in overtime. Hubbard has rushed for over 150 yards in each of the last two wins for the Panthers. If they can get him enough touches to put up a big game again here, the Panthers could come away with an upset win.
Bucs No Longer In Control Of NFC South Destiny
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered a devastating loss in Week 16 of the NFL season, falling against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. That loss dropped the Bucs to 8-7 on the season and put them back behind the Atlanta Falcons for first place in the NFC South standings. After a late turnover against the Cowboys cost them that game, the Bucs will look to bounce back and get a much-needed victory in this contest.
Stopping the pass will be the key to this game for the Bucs after they allowed Cooper Rush to throw for 292 yards and a touchdown against them on Sunday Night Football this past week. While the Panthers are not known for their success through the air, they do have some weapons at wide receiver that could cause the Bucs secondary some headaches and could make this game closer than anticipated.
Panthers vs Buccaneers Best Bet
We are going to take the points with the Panthers in this Panthers vs Buccaneers matchup from Tampa Bay. Our expectation is for the Bucs to win this game when all is said and done, but they have not made things easy on themselves for the most part this year. Look for the Panthers to hang around in this game and for this one to be decided by a touchdown at most.
