Coming off of a frustrating defeat for both teams, Carolina and Tampa look to rebound this Sunday afternoon.
While last season saw Tampa Bay sweet the season series, both games were decided by 4 total points. The key for Tampa is going to contain Cam Newton. Being last in the league in sacks, is something that Carolina is going to exploit. While Greg Olsen will not be playing, the Panthers will have 2017 draft pick, Christian McCaffery. Tampa will also need to need to get Doug Martin moving. Martin, who has 4 rushing TD’s in his last 6 games, will need to be more effective against a defense who did not play well against Chicago last week.
Carolina will also be bringing a lot of pressure on Jameis Winston, so he will need to continue to protect the ball. With 10 TD’s and 4 INT’s this season, Jameis will look to continue to play well, and have his 3rd 300 yard passing game in a row.
This is a game that the Bucs can win. Both teams have struggled to find their groove thus far, but for both teams, they hope this game can right the ship going forward. We will see if Tampa has made any changes to their defense schemes, and if they can stop Kelvin Benjamin who has been a standout player all year. I believe, personally, that Tampa will play very well at home this week, and come out with a close victory.
Tampa: 27
Carolina: 20
