The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8) travel to face off against the Carolina Panthers (2-14) on Sunday, January 7th. This game will be played at Bank of America Stadium in Bank of America Stadium and televised on FOX. Both the Buccaneers and Panthers will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 ET.

Buccaneers vs Panthers

The Buccaneers Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

The Buccaneers hosted the Saints in their last game, but suffered a 23-13 loss. Along with their outright defeat, the Buccaneers couldn’t cover the spread despite being favored by 2.5.

Tampa Bay got a big game from quarterback Baker Mayfield in the win, completing 66% of his passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns. However, Mayfield did finish the game with two interceptions.

The Buccaneers’ defense wrapped up the game with one sack and two interceptions vs. the Saints. Additionally, the team’s secondary yielded 202 passing yards, while the rush defense permitted 108 rushing yards.

This season, the Buccaneers hold the 1st position in the NFC-South with an overall record of 8-8. Their non-conference game record is 2-3, and in NFC action, they are NFC.

Looking at the Buccaneers’ scoring margin so far, it currently stands at +0.9. This has led to an ATS record of 10-6. This season, games featuring the Buccaneers have averaged 41.5 points, placing them at 20th in the NFL. They currently hold an over/under record of 6-10, with an average OU line of 41.5 points.

Buccaneers Injury Report

• Ko Kieft – Shoulder (Questionable)
• Mike Greene – Calf (Questionable)
• Rakim Jarrett – Quad (Questionable)
• Russell Gage – Knee (Out)
• Carlton Davis III – Concussion (Questionable)
• Shaquil Barrett – Groin (Questionable)
• Ryan Jensen – Knee (Out)

The Panthers Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

In their last outing, the Panthers suffered a 26-0 loss to the Jaguars. In addition to their 26-point loss, the Panthers also suffered a setback in their ATS record. They were 4-point underdogs at the start of the game.

For the game, quarterback Bryce Young attempted 32 passes and finished with 19 completions for 112. His passer rating for the game was 53.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Panthers gave up 317 yards of total offense to Jacksonville. 155 of these yards came on the ground, while the team’s secondary gave up 162 yards on 24 attempts.

Looking at the NFC-South standings, the Panthers are in 4th place on a record of 2-14. In the NFC, Carolina is in 16th place heading into week 18.

Coming into this week’s game, the Panthers have been the underdog in all of their games. Their current ATS record is 4-10-2 on an a scoring margin of -10.7. Looking at their over/under lines, the Panthers have seen an average line of 40.5 points. Their games have averaged 40.2 points per game, resulting in an over/under record of 5-11.

Panthers Injury Report

• Henry Anderson – Foot (Out)
• Troy Hill – Concussion (Questionable)
• Justin McCray – Calf (Out)
• Shaq Thompson – Leg (Out)
• Hayden Hurst – Concussion (Out)
• Marquis Haynes Sr. – Concussion (Questionable)
• Austin Corbett – Knee (Out)
• Eddy Piñeiro – Hamstring (Questionable)
• Giovanni Ricci – Shoulder (Out)
• Laviska Shenault Jr. – Ankle (Out)
• Brady Christensen – Bicep (Out)
• Dicaprio Bootle – Knee (Out)
• Amaré Barno – Knee (Out)
• Cade Mays – Finger (Questionable)
• Derek Wright – Knee (Out)
• Chandler Wooten – Ankle (Out)
• Luiji Vilain – Knee (Out)
• Claudin Cherelus – Knee (Questionable)
• Chandler Zavala – Knee (Out)

Buccaneers Offense Breakdown

On offense, the Buccaneers are averaging 21.2 points per game, putting them 16th in the NFL.

Among the other teams in the league Tampa Bay ranks 15th in the NFL for passing yards per game with an average of 231.1. Their passing yards per attempt, 6.9, places them 6th.

On a per-attempt basis, the Buccaneers average 3.5 yards while carrying the ball an average of 25.6 times per game. Regarding rushing yardage, they are 31st in the league.

Panthers Offense Breakdown

Carolina’s offense is 28th in the league, with an average of 14.8 points per contest.

Coming into this week’s game Carolina’s passing game is ranked 31st in passing yards. Additionally, they are positioned 10th in pass attempts, with an average of 35.5 passes per game.

On the ground, the Panthers have carried the ball an average of 26 times per game and currently rank 20th in rushing yards. Their average rushing yards per attempt is 3.9.

Buccaneers Team Defense

On the defensive side of the ball, Tampa Bay currently ranks 9th in points allowed. Their opponents have been averaging 20.3 points per game while gaining 353.3 yards per contest.

Panthers Team Defense

The Carolina defense has 11 takeaways this season, positioning them 17th in the NFL. Overall, they are at 25.4 points per game allowed and giving up an average of 298.1 yards.

Buccaneers vs Panthers Trends

• Through their last ten road contests, the Buccaneers offense has averaged 23 points per game while allowing an average of 23. Tampa Bay posted an overall record of 5-5 while going 7-3 ATS.
• Through their last ten home games, Carolina has an ATS record of just 2-7-1. However, their overall record was 1-9 while averaging 13 points per game.
• Through their last five games as the betting underdog, the Panthers have a strong record vs the spread going 3-2. Their straight up mark in these contests is 1-4.
• Going back to their previous ten games as the favorite, Tampa Bay has an ATS mark of 4-6 while going 7-3 straight up.

Buccaneers vs Panthers Prediction

For a point spread bet, I’m going with Tampa Bay at -5.5. I believe the Tampa Bay rushing offense will take full advantage of the weaknesses in Carolina’s defense, as they struggled in their most recent game. Before kickoff, I’d get a bet down on Tampa Bay with -5.5.

The analysis we’ve been running for this game has Tampa Bay and Carolina finishing with a combined 37 points. With the over/under line sitting at 37.5, I’m getting a bet down on the under.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.