Carolina Panthers vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Game Preview, Odds, Picks & Predictions

So, the overriding betting question is: Are the Buccaneers a lock to cover? Tampa Bay is pegged as the nine-point home chalk with a juice set to Even odds.

The simple answer is: yes. Tampa Bay is a lock bet against the spread (ATS) to cover the two-score line at the expense of the Panthers, who boast the second-worst losing streak in the league after the Jacksonville Jaguars.

As well explore a variety of other NFL odds here to win!

Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Panthers on Six-Game Slide

The Panthers are a hot mess, inside a dumpster fire, inside a train wreck. The season finale can’t come soon enough for head coach Matt Rhule and the Panthers as they’re headed back to the drawing board for a third straight offseason.

The Panthers are limping to the finish line on the heels of a six-game losing streak – the second-worst run of form after the Jaguars’ eight-game skid.

Most recently, the Panthers lost to the New Orleans Saints 18-10 on the road, failing to come through as the seven-point road underdogs for NFL picks against the spread.

It was Carolina’s 11th loss after a 3-0 start to the season. It was also their sixth straight missed cover. The Panthers are 5-11-0 ATS overall and 3-5-0 ATS on the road.

Darnold vs. Newton

Rhule abandoned the Cam Newton experiment after it became clear that the veteran wasn’t the answer. But Rhule’s limited options at the quarterback position meant he was forced to go back to Sam Darnold.

Darnold made his first appearance when he was subbed for Newton midway through Carolina’s Week 16 date with the Buccaneers. The boos that rained down on Darnold as he made his entrance spoke volumes. That he’s fallen out of favor with Carolina’s faithful.

If there’s one thing that’s become evidently clear about Darnold – even though it was suspected after his unsuccessful three-year stint with the New York Jets – it’s that he’s not fit to be a starter.
Darnold put in an uninspired account in Carolina’s 32-6 loss to Tampa Bay, finishing 15 of 32 for 190 yards and zero touchdowns. While he had no interceptions, he did fumble the ball.

With four seasons under his belt spanning two different teams, Darnold’s lack of progress, development, and maturation in the position is a major obstacle in the evolution of any offense that is built around him.

Case in point, his account against the Saints, which is a fitting microcosm of his entire four-year career. To say Carolina’s offensive line struggled doesn’t even begin to describe the cringing embarrassment of Darnold’s first start since October.

Darnold started impressively, going 9-for-9 passing, but then his confidence seemed to dissipate and, subsequently, his performance fell off a cliff, taking the entire team with him into the abyss.

He finished with a paltry 132 yards and zero touchdowns. He committed two turnovers – an interception and a fumble for a loss to improve his season stats to 12 interceptions and eight fumbles (three for a loss). It’s worth keeping in mind the fact that Darnold has only started 11 games this season.

He barely looked downfield, refusing to even consider a deep ball, and finished with just an average of 5.1 yards per attempt. He was sacked a whopping seven times, and when he wasn’t laid flat on the turf, he was running for his life.

Tampa Bay Can Still Move Up

It was a close call against the New York Jets last Sunday, but Tom Brady did what he does best, and led the Buccaneers on a last-gasp, game-winning drive to clinch the 28-24 win in the dying seconds of the game.

With two minutes and the ball in Brady’s hands, the Buccaneers marched down the length of the field. With 15 seconds left on the clock, Brady connected with the little-known Cyril Grayson for a 33-yard touchdown pass that lifted Tampa Bay to victory.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME CYRIL 🤯

📺: #TBvsNYJ on FOX pic.twitter.com/TkkI1N6YUs

— xz – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) January 2, 2022

On the heels of the win, the Buccaneers improved to a 12-4 record and moved into third place in the NFC standings, falling behind the Green Bay Packers (clinched No. 1) and the Los Angeles Rams (currently ranked No. 2).

The Buccaneers control their destiny with regard to holding the No. 3 spot. However, they do still have a chance to move up the ladder and clinch the No. 2 spot with a win over the Panthers in Week 18 and some help from their rivals.

In other words, there’s still a lot to play for in this game. Thus, dispelling the notion that the Bucs might not go all out in their season finale in order to rest some starters for the playoffs.

To that notion, coach Bruce Arians was quite succinct in his response. “You play to win. You play to get that second seed, that’s huge. We’re not resting anybody. We’re playing to win.”

ATS Lock of the Week: No Contest

The Buccaneers can move up to the second seed if they beat the Panthers and the Rams lose to the San Francisco 49ers. As Arians has clearly indicated that is a huge motivating factor going into Week 18.

It’s somewhat surprising that the Buccaneers are merely favored by nine points in betting online markets.

Perhaps, contrary to Arians’ assurances, the Bucs will rest some starters in Week 18. There’s also Antonio Brown’s rather dramatic departure during the Jets game and a slew of injuries on the offensive side of the ball to consider. All of these things could have cost the Buccaneers a few points on the board, thereby impacting the betting market.

In a vacuum, those arguments might make sense. Against an elite team that can exploit any shortcomings Tampa Bay might have, that would make even more sense. When taken against the underwhelming Panthers, surely these arguments are a moot point.

As such, the Buccaneers are not only a lock as the nine-point home chalk, but also a steal bet for NFL picks. Consider the Week 16 clash between this pair: the Buccaneers closed as the 11-point road chalk, but the result was a total blowout as Tampa Bay covered comfortably in the 26-point margin of victory.

Pick: Tampa Bay Buccaneers -9 (Ev)