The Tampa Bay Buccaneers roll into Carolina to take on the Panthers Sunday at 4:05pm. They’ll do so without two key players in their defensive secondary. Safety Jordan Whitehead and Defensive Back Tykee Smith have both been ruled out. The rest of the injury reports for both teams are below.

A win is just one win. You have to string wins together to go on a run to the playoffs at this time of year. That’s exactly what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to try to do this weekend as they travel to Carolina to take on the Panthers.

It hasn’t been a good year for former Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales, who is now the head coach of the Panthers. However, I’d be lying if I said that this was the worst team in the league. In fact, there are a few things to actually like about Carolina this year.

Add on top of that that this is a divisional game and there is every reason not to overlook this Panthers team despite their 3-8 record. The Buccaneers will have to bring the same kind of effort and approach that we saw last week out of their bye. And of course, they will have to win their matchups that I’ve highlighted in this week’s Skeleton Keys to victory.

Break Through The Line

It isn’t talked about often, but the Panthers actually have a really good offensive line. Big names such as Taylor Moton, Robert Hunt and Ikem Ekwonu have largely lived up to their reputation. It’s a big part of why the Panthers are 5th in the NFL in fewest sacks allowed with just 20 on the year.

This could be a problem for a Bucs team who has struggled to get pressure off the edge this year. On paper when you match up a guy like Moton against Yaya Diaby (the Bucs best edge rusher) then that’s an advantage for the Panthers. Someone in this group will have to step up.

It will also be critical that the Buccaneers’ great duo in the middle of Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey continue to dominate. As much as I respect the Panthers offensive line, this might be the best defensive tackle pairing in the entire league. With Vea’s power and Kancey’s explosiveness they might be able to crack the Panthers armor up front, particularly in the center of the offensive line.

Little Game From The Little Fella

One of the driving factors in hiring Canales this offseason was for him to develop 2023 first overall pick Bryce Young. So far, that mission hasn’t gone as smoothly as they might have hoped. He only has 1,083 passing yards with 5 passing touchdowns and 6 interceptions this year, along with one benching in favor of Andy Dalton. Needless to say, those aren’t ideal numbers from your franchise quarterback.

After beating up the Giants quarterbacks last week, the Bucs will need more of the same this week. This defense held Tommy DeVito and Drew Lock to a combined 192 yards on 32 attempts. Based on what we have seen so far, Young is a similar tier of quarterback and the Bucs should get similar results.

What’s the secret to this sauce? Throw everything at this young, inexperienced quarterback. Zone coverage, man coverage, blitz from every angle, etc. Don’t worry about Young beating you over the top with this ragtag group of pass catchers, just go out and impose your will as a defense.

Magic Mike

This weekend will feature an interesting matchup between Mike Evans and the Panthers top cornerback Jaycee Horn. Horn is an underrated player who could challenge Evans with his size, speed and agility. This is still an advantageous matchup for the Bucs, but not as favorable as some believe.

However, recent history tells us that Evans should put the Panthers in a lose/lose situation. In his last three games against Carolina Evans has had 391 yards and 4 touchdowns. When left one on one, he has feasted against the Panthers (which is fitting for a Thanksgiving weekend game). But if they give him the attention he needs then it will leave everyone else that much more open and the Bucs can beat them in many other ways.

After missing him for a month due to injury, it’s easy to see the impact that Evans has. He can either destroy the defense quickly, or open things up for the rest of the offense to kill them slowly. Personally, I am rooting for another 200+ yard day like we saw two years ago.

Overall

Many are giving the Panthers a second look after they took the Kansas City Chiefs to the wire last week, but in reality this is another game that the Bucs should dominate. It is a critical game for Tampa Bay’s playoff hopes and no one knows Dave Canales better than Todd Bowles. Chalk it up as another comfortable victory as we all eat turkey sandwiches and fall asleep in front of the TV.

Prediction

Buccaneers – 41
Panthers – 13

For more from J.T. click here, then make sure to follow him on Twitter.

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