Buccaneers vs Panthers NFL Handicapping
The Carolina Panthers host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday in a game that means a whole lot to both sides.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-8) at Carolina Panthers (8-3)
Date: Sunday, December 1, 2013
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Venue: Bank of America Stadium
City: Charlotte, North Carolina
O/U Odds: 41.5
Spread: Carolina -8
[dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
NFL ATS Matchup Stats | NFL Betting Insight!
Check out our in-house Handicapper!!! Buy Razor Ray’s NFL Picks!
Carolina remains in the wild card race in the NFC but has teams from the West breathing down their throat, while Tampa Bay is desperate to continue their impressive turnaround, having won three in a row since an 0-8 start, possibly saving head coach Greg Schiano’s job.
*CLICK HERE* GRAB OUR BEST Expert NFL FOOTBALL Picks for 2013 GAMBLING season!
The Panthers have clawed their way into the playoff picture on the back of a tremendous defense. The team ranks seventh in passing defense and third in the league in rushing defense. That unit held strong in the second half to allow the team to complete a comeback against the Miami Dolphins their last time out in a 20-16 win.
[soliloquy id=”82219″]
The team’s offense had trouble getting started in the first half against the Dolphins, but the team came through in the second half on the back of a pair of Cam Newton touchdowns. Newton’s numbers don’t look all that great on the surface. He completed only half of his passes for just 174 yards, but he ran for a touchdown and threw one to Greg Olsen in the second half to put Carolina on top. As a team, the Panthers ran for 136 yards in the game, with Newton leading the way with 51 rushing yards.
The team’s defense gave up 16 points in the first half, which had the team trailing 16-6 at the break, but they kept Miami off the scoreboard in the final 30 minutes of the game. Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill was allowed to throw for 310 yards in the game, but the Panther defense held strong against the run, limiting Dolphins running backs Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas to just 16 rushing yards on 13 carries.
The Buccaneers enjoyed their third consecutive win in their last game. Things got going for them on the other side of their bye week and there is no sign of cooling off after a big road win in Detroit, 24-21.
The development of quarterback Mike Glennon has gone largely unnoticed throughout the league, but he’s been solid since taking over in Tampa. Against the Lions, Glennon completed 14 of 21 passes for 247 yards and a pair of scores, including the game-winning 85-yard strike in the fourth quarter. Running back Bobby Rainey crashed back down to Earth after his big outing the week before, rushing 18 times for just 35 yards.
The Tampa defense surrendered 390 yards of offense to Detroit, but also came away with the game-clinching interception late in the fourth quarter, one of four interceptions in the game.
The Panthers have been solid this season, but these NFC South showdowns seem to always be close, and this one should be no different with a prideful Buccaneers squad coming to down.
The play: Tampa Bay +8
