The Panthers, being completely honest, are not the team I thought they would be. They are far from perfect, but it feels like there is a real team here unlike 2023. Bryce Young has at least looked competent and the offense has been doing some stuff. Unfortunate that we have to face them in this state, but it is what it is. The fact is that the Buccaneers won some ugly games against Carolina last year, and they are facing a much improved roster.
The big thing for both of these teams is the running game. It’s a battle of the terrible run defenses for this match up. Tampa right now is 16th in rushing yards per game and 25th in ypc. Not exactly great, in the firmly mediocre category. But the Panthers are 32nd in rushing yards a game and 24th in ypc. To look at the flip side, the Bucs are fifth in ypc for their backs while Carolina is 10th. That’s why I decided to put this part together. Because both teams will be looking to do the same thing in establishing the run.
Chubba Hubbard will be one of the better backs Tampa faces this year. This is a compliment considering this team has faced Derrick Henry, Bijan Robinson, and Brian Robinson. The Panthers and Bucs both have solid lines and should be able to get something going.
For the Bucs defense, outside stopping the run, they need to make Bryce Young uncomfortable in the pocket. People made fun of them for overspending on their o-line, but it seems that they’re the ones laughing now. The line has done pretty well in pass and run protection. It has played a role in Bryce Young making strides in his young career. Bucs need to change that. Their edge rushers have once again taken a back seat to the star DTs. Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey made themselves known last week, and need to do that again. Especially since JTS will be out (although we may not notice that much).
I also think Mike Evans will be having a pretty good game. He usually does pretty well against the Panthers, and hopefully today is no exception. He has 1480 yards and 13 TDs in 19 games vs them. Last week was a solid return coming off a hamstring, especially for his age. I can only hope that his progress can continue. Baker should get him involved early and often, although he did finally have other receivers step up against the Giants.
Despite the Panthers’ progress in recent weeks, they are still ranked in the bottom of the league in nearly all stats. The Bucs should be able to beat them, although there may be some in division trickery. Tristan Wirfs will be making his return, solidifying an o-line facing the team with the least amount of sacks. Hopefully this will allow the Bucs to get back to .500 and put themselves in the playoff picture.
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