The Carolina Panthers have been out of the playoff discussion for some time, last week it was made official when they were hammered by the Falcons. If you took the under on their season win total, congratulations. The year has to rank among one of the bigger disappointments in the league after Carolina rolled through last regular season with just one loss and advanced all the way to the Super Bowl. The balance of power has shifted in the NFC South and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can keep their postseason hopes alive with Week 17 victory.
This contest in Week 17 of the regular season will go down Sunday, January 1, 2017, at 1 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Carolina Panthers +5.5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers -5.5
Over/Under 46.5
Odds Analysis
There’s a lot of talk circulating that the Panthers may sit some of their starters, including Cam Newton. While nothing has been confirmed, the line has shifted. The Bucs opened as a 3.5-point home favorite and the number has fluctuated since peaking at -6.5. The number will likely remain fluid until kickoff and if it drops any lower jump on the home team. We didn’t see Newton in the first meeting and Derek Anderson struggled in Tampa’s 17-14 victory. Cam likely won’t have that much of an impact on the total.
Injury Report
Tre Boston – Carolina’s league-worst pass defense suffered a significant blow when Boston was placed on injured reserve after injuring his knee in Saturday’s loss to the Falcons. Boston started 10 of the 15 games he played and was a stabilizing figure in the secondary that saw many different faces during the course of the season.
Cameron Brate – The third-year tight end has developed into a favorite target of Jameis Winston, but he won’t be around for the finale after suffering a back injury against the Saints. Brate had a touchdown grab in the game to tie the team record for a tight end, but he exited in the second half. Winston missed on two end zone tosses to backup Brandon Myers that stalled a drive.
Matchup to Watch
One area where the Panthers have been really good this season is getting to the opposing quarterback. Carolina recorded four sacks of Matt Ryan on Saturday, but it still wasn’t enough to disrupt the MVP candidate from putting up good enough numbers for the victory. Ryan was able to throw for 277 yards and pair of touchdowns without turning the ball over. It’s been that type of play that has gotten the Panthers to where they are now.
While Carolina is good in one area, it’s lousy in several others. The pass coverage was leaky, allowing too many open receivers, even when the pressure was strong. But that was against one of the top offenses in the league. It could be a different theme against Winston and the Bucs, however. Winston still has a tendency to get jittery in the pocket when pressured, forcing him to make some questionable decisions. And with Brate out, Winston will be without a favorite target. If the Panthers can bring the heat with their league-best 44 sacks, they could get some late Christmas gifts.
Free ATS Pick
Becoming a non-playoff contender is a hell of a lot easier than trying to become a contender. You can ask the Titans about that, and you can hit up the Bucs as well. Tampa was cruising along with five straight wins and controlled its own playoff destiny just two weeks ago. Losing to Dallas in Week 15, well, okay, that was expected. But what a statement win that would have been. The crusher, though, was last week’s loss in New Orleans, which all but ended the Bucs playoff hopes. There’s still a chance and you never know what can happen in this league, but the Bucs are better off purchasing a lottery ticket at this point.
To have any chance the Bucs first need to win. To say the Panthers are reeling is an understatement. Newton did very little against an average at best Falcons defense and at times it looked like the Panthers were going through the motions. Newton said his sore shoulder wasn’t a factor, but it was evident something was bothering him. It could be that he has to play out this lousy season. The Bucs need to find the defense that propelled them through that recent five-game run. It disappeared in the last two games, but if found, the Bucs will be a 9-win team for the first time since 2010.
NFL Odds: Tampa Bay 23, Carolina 18
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