Carolina Panthers vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Matchup Preview (1/9/22): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

Carolina Panthers vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Matchup Preview (1/9/22)

Antonio Brown is now Antonio out-of-town. The Bucs WR essentially pulled a Vontae Davis last Sunday and quit mid-game against the Jets — perhaps angered by his lack of production with a number of end of the season bonuses on the line. Despite this, the Bucs rallied to beat the Jets 28-24 and secure a top 3 seed in the NFC. They play the Carolina Panthers this weekend in Tampa for a shot to finish off the season at 13-4 on a three game win streak.

The Panthers travel to Raymond James stadium coming off an 8 point loss to the Saints — their latest loss in a string of six straight. The Bucs and Panthers have played each other 42 times in league history with the Panthers leading the all time series 24-18 and the Bucs taking 5 of the last 6.

Carolina Panthers vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting Odds

Betting Trends

Panthers are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 vs. NFC South
Panthers are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games as a road underdog
Panthers are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games overall
Buccaneers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as a home favorite
Buccaneers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall
Buccaneers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 vs. NFC South

The Pick

Half of Carolina’s secondary and nearly all of Tampa Bay’s running backs are on the IR for this game. Now that Green Bay has clinched the one seed in the NFC, Tampa doesn’t have a whole lot to play for here, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Bruce Arians sits his starters for the majority of the game. On this speculation, I think betting on Carolina at +8 is a solid value play, though you should also be wary of the fact that the only thing this team has been able to do all season is defend the pass, and they’ll be without some difference makers in their defensive backfield. With the way COVID-19 is spreading across the league right now, I’d either bet Carolina early in the week on this hunch, or bet it later in the week when we know more information. I love the under in this game.

My Prediction: Tampa wins 20-13, Carolina covers (+8) and the under hits (u41.5)

TV Schedule

Date: Sunday, January, 9
Time: 4:25 PM ET
Location: Raymond James Stadium — Tampa, FL
TV Coverage: Fox

Carolina Panthers vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Live Stream

Where can you watch Panthers vs Bucs online? You can stream this game, and many other NFL games live online with Hulu. Hulu has a 7 Day free trial and is cheaper than cable options at $5.99/month. Watch Panthers vs Bucs Free Online Now.

Injuries

Carolina Panthers: RB Christian McCaffrey (Ankle) O, OLB Haason Reddick (COVID-19) O, CB Donte Jackson (Groin) O, CB AJ Bouye (Foot) O, C Matt Paradis (Torn ACL) O, CB Jaycee Horn (Foot) O, CB Troy Pride Jr (Leg) O, K Zane Gonzalez (Quad) O
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: OLB Shaquil Barrett (Knee(ACL)(MCL))) O, ILB Lavonte David (Foot) O, WR Chris Godwin (ACL) O, RB Leonard Fournette (Hamstring) O, OLB Jason Pierre-Paul (Shoulder) Q, RB Ronald Jones II (Ankle) Q, P Bradley Pinion (Hip/COVID-19) O, CB Richard Sherman (Achilles) Q, FS Mike Edwards (Suspension) O, RB Giovani Bernard (Hip) O

Carolina Panthers Analysis

If you ever needed proof that the saying “defense wins championships” is outdated, the Carolina Panthers are it. They rank second in the NFL in total yards allowed per game at 299.5 with the second best pass defense in an increasingly pass-centric league. Yet, they’ve lost six straight games and are 2-11 since week 3. While teams having relative success running the ball against them could partially explain their fall from grace after starting the season 3-0, the Carolina run defense is only 14 yards a game out from being a top 6 unit in the NFL. The more glaring weakness on this team is their inability to move the ball on offense marked by turmoil at the quarterback position.

Only the Texans and Giants average fewer yards per game than the Carolina Panthers at 297.8. They have the fourth worst passing offense, averaging 189.5 yards a game, and the 11th worst rushing offense, averaging 108.3 yards a game. They have the lowest average passer rating and completion percentage on the season at 67.2 and 57.4, respectively. When push comes to shove in the NFL of 2021, it doesn’t matter how good your secondary is if you have a bottom three passing offense. It certainly doesn’t help that they also don’t have a single rusher over 600 yards and rank third to last in turnover differential at -11.

Given what the Panthers are, likely their biggest hurdle to an upset this weekend is going to be injuries. Cornerbacks Donte Jackson, AJ Bouye, and Jaycee Horn are all on the IR this weekend, rendering this team’s only elite unit relatively average.

Carolina Panthers Depth Chart

QB: Sam Darnold
RB1: Chuba Hubbard
RB2: Ameer abdullah
WR1: Robby Anderson
WR2: DJ Moore
TE1: Ian thomas

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Analysis

Maybe the AB memes are a bit over the top, but, seriously, the greatest NFL player of all time welcomed this man into his home for weeks and convinced Tampa Bay Head Coach Bruce Arians to sign him. With Chris Godwin out for the season, he was arguably the second best receiving option on a team that depends heavily on the passing game. No team in the NFL throws the ball more than the Bucs. Tom Brady leads the NFL in passing yards at 4,990 — over 300 yards ahead of the number 2 quarterback in Matt Stafford.

The Bucs lead the NFL in total yards at 405.8 yards a game as well as total passing touchdowns at 40 on the season. They have the second best red zone offense, scoring touchdowns on 64.6 percent of red zone drives, and rank sixth in the NFL in yards per point at 13.8. 6’ 5” Mike Evans is Tom Brady’s favorite red zone target and he leads the team with 12 touchdowns on the year. The Bucs will be without 3 of their top 4 running backs this weekend, which could prove to be somewhat significant against a team who’s been more vulnerable against the run all year.

Defensively, the Bucs rank 14th in the NFL in yards per game at 332.4. They have the 3rd best rushing defense in yards per game, though it should be noted that a lot of this is attributable to the fact that teams love to throw the ball on this Tampa secondary. Opposing offenses have more pass attempts against Tampa than they do against any other team in the league. As such, they give up the third most passing yards in the NFL.

Watch for Tampa Bay to rest their starters in this game. Bruce Arians has said he won’t, but it’s very plausible he sits a lot of guys on this old roster now that they have effectively locked up the 3 seed.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Depth Chart

QB: Tom Brady
RB1: Ronald Jones II
RB2: Ke’Shawn Vaughn
RB3: Le’Veon Bell
WR1: Mike Evans
WR2: Breshad Perriman
TE1: Rob Gronkowski

Carolina Panthers vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Daily Fantasy Pick

I like Bucs running back Ke’Shawn Vaugn as both a value play and a safe bet in this game. Three of the Bucs top 4 running backs in yards this season are on the IR this weekend between Leonard Fournette, Ronald Jones II, and Giovani Bernard. Vaughn, who has only rushed for 151 yards on 26 attempts this season, is going to get more action than he has all season. You’re getting a solid play at a discount here. The Bucs RB is listed at $4,000 on FanDuel.