The fortune teller looks into the crystal ball and predicts snow. Not for the game this weekend in Carolina! It should be a beautiful 71 degrees and sunny. The blustery forecast is for one of these two teams.
The Buccaneers still very much in the hunt. The Panthers are looking for a ride to one. The team that leaves Bank of America stadium with a loss on Sunday will be heading for a very long winter.
Mirror, Mirror On The Wall
As if Buccaneer fans needed reminding. The Carolina quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater played for the New Orleans Saints last year. He would throw four touchdowns against the Buccaneers defense last season in week five. Leading the Saints to a 31-24 victory. As accurate as the six year veteran quarterback is on the long ball, he has carried the dink-and-dunk philosophy with him to Carolina.
Connecting last week with Christian McCaffrey on ten occasions. Nine more to former Ohio State WR Curtis Samuel. With McCaffrey out this game with a shoulder. The Panthers will plug six year veteran Mike Davis into the lineup. This will not change the Panthers game plan much. They will try to lull the Buccaneers defense in with the run and short pass. Then look for a chance for Bridgewater to take one deep.
No Need For Tarot Cards
If the Buccaneers approach this game with the same offensive game plan they had last week against the Saints, you won’t need a soothsayer to predict the outcome. The Panthers are young up front on the defensive line with rookies Derrick Brown and Yetur Gross-Matos. Defensive standout safety Jeremy Chinn leads the team in tackles and is making an argument for Defensive Rookie of the year.
In the week two matchup against the Panthers, Leonard Fournette broke the century mark in yards with 103 yards on 12 carries for a 8.6 yard average. This Buccaneers outrushed the cats with 122 yards to 87. Carolina would lead in the air with 340 yards to the Buccaneers 217. For fans of competitive football this game should offer some mysticism.
No Need For Superstition
The Buccaneers spent Friday avoiding walking under ladders, black cats crossing their paths, and anything else related to Friday the 13th superstitions. The team has bounced back with three wins in a row after their two earlier season losses. NFL football comes down to matchups. Fortunately, those matchups seem to favor the Buccaneers continuing that trend.
It will not snow on Tampa Bay this Sunday in Charlotte. The Buccaneers will begin to earn back a little of the respect they lost this last week.
As for that original prediction by the fortune teller of snow. It helps if you use a crystal ball and not a snow globe.
