Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers Matchup Preview (12/26/21): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers Matchup Preview (12/26/21)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-4) will play the Carolina Panthers (5-9) in week 16 in a battle of NFC South clubs at Bank of America Stadium.  Tampa Bay is coming off an embarrassing 9-0 home loss to the New Orleans Saints.  The Buccaneers punted eight times vs. the Saints, their most in a game since week 8 of the 2016 season.  In week 15, Carolina lost on the road to Buffalo 31-14.  The Panthers are currently on a four-game losing streak, being outscored 120-66.  The Buccaneers have won four of their last five games.  The Panthers are 0-19 in games when allowing at least 22 points since 2020.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers Betting Odds

Tampa Bay is an 11-point road favorite against Carolina in week 16.  The Panthers are 5-9 against the spread in 2021; 2-5 at home.  The Buccaneers are 4-1 against the spread in their last five meetings in Carolina.  After starting the season 3-0, the Panthers have lost nine of their last 11 games.  Road team is 10-4 against the spread in their last 14 meetings.

My Prediction: I like the Buccaneers to win 31-17, covering the 11 points and going over 44 points.  I could see Tom Brady having a big game after being embarrassed on national television. 

TV Schedule

Date: 12/26/21
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Location: Bank Of America Stadium – Charlotte NC
TV Coverage: FOX

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers Live Stream

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers Analysis

Week 15 was one of the worst games in Tom Brady’s career as he’s now 0-4 against the New Orleans Saints as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.  He was shut out for the first time since week 15 of the 2006 season against Miami.  Against the Saints Brady was 26-48 for 214 yards, two turnovers and a 57.1-passer rating.  Despite the clunker against New Orleans, the seven-time Super Bowl winner is leading the league in passing yards (4,348), touchdown passes (36) and passing yards per game (310.6).  

Leonard Fournette is likely out for the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury suffered against the Saints.   In his second season with Tampa Bay, he’s leading the team in rushing with 812 yards and eight touchdowns.  He has also been reliable catching the ball out of the backfield, with 69 receptions for 454 yards and two scores.  With Giovanni Bernard also on IR, Ronald Jones II who has 337 yards on the ground will likely see the bulk of the action at running back.  The Buccaneers also signed Le’Veon Bell on Tuesday for depth.  

Chris Godwin tore his ACL in the loss to the Saints and is out for the season.  The Penn State product will end the season with 98 catches (second-most receptions in a season in team history) with 1,103 yards (fifth in the NFL) and five touchdowns.  Mike Evans has a strained hamstring and is considered week to week.  He’s questionable for this weekend’s game against the Panthers.  On the season, Evans has 64 catches for 899 yards and a team leading 11 touchdown receptions.  He’s averaging 64.2 yards per game in 2021.  Antonio Brown is expected back this week after serving a three-game suspension for using a fake COVID-19 vaccination card.  In 2021, he has 29 catches for 418 yards and four touchdowns: averaging 14.4 yards per reception.  

Tight end Rob Gronkowski might have played one of the worst games of his career in week 15; he had at least two dropped passes that would have extended Tampa Bay drives.  On a positive note, he’s the fifth tight end in history with at least 9,000 receiving yards, he currently has 9,011.

The Buccaneers’ defense is allowing 333.6 yards per game, ranking them 11^th in the league.  They’re allowing 21.9 points per game which is 13^th in the NFL.   In a blow to the defense linebacker Lavonte David is 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Depth Chart

QB: Tom Brady
RB1: Leonard Fournette
RB2: Ronald Jones II
WR1: Mike Evans
WR2: Chris Godwin
WR3: Breshad Perriman
TE1: Rob Gronkowski
TE2: Cameron Brate

Carolina Panthers Analysis

In 2021, the Panthers are averaging 308.1 yards of total offense per game, 29^th in the NFL.  They’re scoring 19.4 points per game which ranks them 25^th in the league.  

Carolina passing attack is averaging 195.4 passing yards per game ranking them 29^th in the NFL.  Cam Newton starting his fourth game for the Panthers this season, threw for 156 yards, one touchdown, an interception with a passer rating of 56.5.  He also added 71 rushing yards and touchdown in the loss to Buffalo.  Newton has lost 12 straight starts for Carolina; his last win was in week 9 against Tampa Bay in the 2018 season.  On a positive note, the 2015 NFL MVP is the first quarterback in NFL history with at least one rushing touchdown in each of their first five games played of a season.  In his five games back with the Panthers in 2021, he has thrown for 623 yards, rushed for 183 yards, and has accounted for nine touchdowns (four passing and five rushing).  Newton is one of the true warriors in the NFL, unafraid to take on a defender, but he simply looks like a shell of himself. 

Carolina’s ground attack is averaging 112.6 yards per game, 16^th in the league.  Chuba Hubbard, who has started seven games this season leads the Panthers in rushing with 500 yards.  He’s scored four touchdowns and is averaging 35.7 yards per game in 2021. 

D.J. Moore is Carolina’s leading receiver with 78 catches for 986 yards and four touchdowns: averaging 70.4 yards per game.  In his last three games, Moore has been targeted 31 times, averaging 78.3 yards in those contests.  Robby Anderson is second on the team in receiving with 39 receptions for 401 yards and four touchdowns: averaging 10.3 yards per reception.  

The Carolina defense is allowing 294.4 yards per game; ranking them second in the league.  They’re allowing 22.4 points per game which is 16^th in the NFL.   The Panthers have 36 sacks this season.  Linebacker Haason Reddick leads the club with 11 sacks, he also has 12 tackles for loss and 18 quarterback hits.  Brian Burns is second on the team in sacks with nine.  Additionally, he has 13 tackles for loss and 17 quarterback hits.  Per NFL.com, Burns has surpassed Julius Peppers (21) for the most games with at least one sack among Panthers players in their first three seasons.

Carolina Panthers Depth Chart

QB: Cam Newton
RB1: Chuba Hubbard
WR1: D.J. Moore
WR2: Robby Anderson
WR3: Terrace Marshall Jr.
TE1: Ian Thomas
TE2: Tommy Tremble

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers Daily Fantasy Picks

Wide receiver Tyler Johnson could have a bigger role in the Tampa Bay offense with the injuries to Godwin and Evans.  On the season he has 27 catches for 288 yards: averaging 10.7 yards per reception.  Over the last two weeks, Johnson has been targeted 10 times.

Cam Newton has at least one passing touchdown and one or more rushing touchdowns in a game 45 times in his career.  He has gone over 50 rushing yards in game 47 times in his 

11-year career.  Newton has surpassed Earl Campbell for the most rushing touchdowns among number one overall picks in NFL history with 75 per NFL.com.