TAMPA BAY (8-8) at CAROLINA (2-14)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox.
BETTING LINE: Buccaneers by 4 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Tampa Bay 10-6, Carolina 4-10-2.
SERIES RECORD: Panthers lead 25-21.
LAST MEETING: Buccaneers beat Panthers 21-18 on Dec. 3, 2023, in Tampa Bay.
LAST WEEK: Buccaneers lost to Saints 23-13; Panthers lost to Jaguars 26-0.
BUCCANEERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (23), RUSH (31), PASS (15), SCORING (19).
BUCCANEERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (25), RUSH (6), PASS (32), SCORING (T9)
PANTHERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (32), RUSH (20), PASS (31), SCORING (31).
PANTHERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (3), RUSH (13), PASS (3), SCORING (30).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Buccaneers plus-6, Panthers minus-7
BUCCANEERS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Baker Mayfield, who’s with his fourth team in six seasons, is trying to lead a club to the playoffs for the second time. He also did it in 2020 with Cleveland. He’s completed 64.4% of his passes for 3,907 yards and 28 touchdowns, the latter two of which are both career bests. He split last season between the Panthers and Los Angeles Rams before signing a one-year, $4 million deal as Tom Brady’s replacement in Tampa Bay.
PANTHERS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Bryce Young will make his final start of a disappointing rookie season. He’s coming off a poor performance last week against Jacksonville, held to 112 yards passing as Carolina was shutout for only the fourth time in franchise history. Young was sacked six times.
KEY MATCHUP: Panthers OL vs. Buccaneers pass rush. The Panthers have allowed 62 sacks this season, tied for third most in the NFL. Left tackle Ickey Ekwonu particularly has struggled this season. Tampa Bay comes into the game tied for 10th in the league in sacks with 45, so expect it to dial up the pressure against Young.
KEY INJURIES: Mayfield has sore ribs after taking a late hit on a 2-point conversion play with less than two minutes remaining in last week’s loss to New Orleans. He says he will do everything he can to be ready to play against the Panthers. … Bucs LB Shaquil Barrett (groin) and CB Carlton Davis (concussion) were inactive against the Saints. Their status will be evaluated as the week progresses. … The Panthers OLB Marquis Haynes (concussion) is not expected to play after taking a blow to the head last week against the Jaguars that left him hospitalized. … Also, rookie WR Jonathan Mingo went on IR earlier in the week with a foot injury and won’t play.
SERIES NOTES: The Buccaneers have dominated the series of late, winning six of the past seven games with five of those victories coming when Tom Brady was playing quarterback.
STATS AND STUFF: The Bucs went 4-1 in December, with Mayfield throwing for 11 touchdowns vs. three interceptions. Joe Flacco (13) and Brock Purdy (12) were the only players who threw more TD passes during the month, while Lamar Jackson, Derek Carr, Jordan Love and Matthew Stafford joined Mayfield with 11. … Mayfield appeared in seven games with the Panthers last season, going 1-5 as a starter. … Bucs RB Rachaad White has 60 receptions and ranks third among NFL running backs with 531 receiving yards. He’s seventh among RBs in total yards from scrimmage with 1,448. … WR Chris Godwin is 27 yards shy of his fourth season with at least 1,000 receiving yards. … WR Mike Evans, who has 76 receptions for 1,233 yards and 13 TDs, is the only player in league history to begin a career with 10 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. … Evans has 94 TD receptions, tied with Davante Adams for first among active players. … Rookie LB Yaya Diaby leads the Bucs with 6½ sacks. … The Panthers will finish with the worst record in the league, but the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft will go to the Chicago Bears as part of last year’s trade for Young. … Young is 2-13 as the team’s starter and has thrown nearly as many interceptions (10) as touchdown passes (11). … Carolina is 26th in the league in third down conversions at 35%. … WR Adam Thielen leads the Panthers with 101 receptions for 1,002 yards, although his production has dropped off significantly in the second half of the season. … Despite the team’s record, Carolina’s defense has only allowed 298.1 yards per game this season, third best in the NFL.
FANTASY TIP: Evans has dominated the Panthers. He has 17 catches for 369 yards and four TDs in his past two games vs. Carolina. He has 54 receptions for 831 yards and eight TDs in the past seven meetings. On New Year’s Day in 2023, Evans delivered a memorable game with 12 catches for 207 yards and three TDs vs. Carolina.
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