NFL Week 13 – Panthers vs Buccaneers
An intriguing AFC South battle comes our way on Sunday – intriguing not because the two teams are grappling for top spot but intriguing because both teams are far from where most thought they would be at this point of the season.
CAROLINA PANTHERS (3-8) vs. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (4-7)
Date/Time: Sunday, December 4, 1:00 PM ET
Venue: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, Florida
Broadcast: FOX
Panthers vs. Buccaneers Betting Lines from betonline.com
Spread: Buccaneers -3 ½
Moneyline: Panthers +165: Buccaneers -190
Over/Under: 47 points
The surprisingly competitive Carolina Panthers will be looking for their second road win in over two years while the stunningly poor Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be fighting to stay out of their division basement.
The Carolina Panthers are better than their 3-7 record. Offensively this team is far beyond what anyone could have expected – 9th in passing and 6th in rushing. Unfortunately the defense hasn’t quite progressed at the same rate. They are 15th against the pass and 28th versus the run.
Cam Newton has been terrific this season – there is no team that has been able to contain him yet. He has passed for 3093 yards and 12 touchdowns while running for another 10 scores. Newton is two touchdowns shy of the NFL record for rushing touchdowns by a QB and is just 647 yards short of the rookie passing record set by Peyton Manning – he’s that good!
Steve Smith eclipsed 1000 yards again and the two-headed rushing monster has awoken again. Together Newton, Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams have rushed for 1446 yards and 15 touchdowns this season.
Offensively, the Panthers are nothing to sneeze at. Defensively however, it is another story. They are second last in points allowed (27.73 points per game) – not good and they are 28th versus the run. LeGarette Blount is hot right now for Tampa Bay so hopes are that the defense actually shows up on Sunday.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have gone from up-and-coming team to pretender in the matter of two thirds of the season. The defense has been horrendous and the offense hasn’t been getting it done. The Bucs are a mess right now – Raheem Morris could be in some trouble. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Tampa is the 12th best pass offense in the NFL and 23rd in rushing but they are 25th in scoring proving the notion that this offense is not getting it done when it matters the most. The Bucs are OK offensively with LeGarrette Blount re-emerging. OK just may be good enough to beat the weak Carolina defense.
Tampa Bay’s defense is 28th against the pass and 30th against the run. The Bucs gave up 190 yards to Chris Johnson last week and have given up at least 177 yards on the ground in 4 of their last five games – brutal!
Betting Prediction: Carolina is 4-17 SU in its last 21 games overall and is 2-4 ATS in its last six games overall, and is 1-12 SU in its last 13 games on the road. However, the panthers are 6-2 SU in their last eight games in Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay is 0-5 SU and 1-4 ATS in its last five games overall, and 8-16 SU in its last 24 games at home, and 6-19 ATS in its last 25 games at home.
Carolina is 11-5 SU in the last 16 head-to-head meetings.
The Carolina Panthers numbers suggest better than a 3-8 record. I can’t see the brutal Tampa Bay defense being able to hold the Carolina offense down. The question is – can the brutal Carolina defense hold the Tampa Bay offense down enough to win the game. I think they do.
Take the Panthers to win their second straight road game.
Pick: Carolina Panthers +3 ½
What are you waiting for? Use our insider knowledge today to gamble on all the NFL Football Week 13 Odds in our the Best online sportsbooks today.
