Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers Preview

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will look to rebound after a tough home loss against the Saints last Sunday night versus the Carolina Panthers.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming off an embarrassing 38-3 loss to the New Orleans Saints. They hit the road hoping to rebound from the loss with a win against the Carolina Panthers. Here we look ahead with a Carolina Panthers game preview.

Tom Brady and the Buccaneers had a horrible game last Sunday night against the Saints defense. Brady threw three interceptions and the offense failed to get in the end zone despite all of the talent surrounding him.

The Carolina Panthers are also coming off a loss, but they played well against the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs with Teddy Bridgewater and the offense scoring 31 points in the road defeat. Star running back Christian McCaffrey was injured late in the game last week and is inactive for this matchup. This really hurts the Panthers offense as the Bucs have one of the best rush defenses in the league.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers Preview

Carolina Panthers

Teddy Bridgewater has had a solid season in 2020 as he’s completed 71.9 percent of his passes for 2,416 yards, eleven touchdowns and six interceptions thus far.

With Christian McCaffrey ruled out due to a right shoulder injury, backup running back Mike Davis will be the lead back for this game. Davis has started most of the season since McCaffrey has been riddled with injuries. The six-year veteran has been more than serviceable with the team’s All-Pro rusher out. Davis leads the Panthers in rushing this season with 353 yards on 85 attempts and two touchdowns. He is also second on the team in receptions with 43 receptions for 278 yards and two touchdowns. The Panthers will need Davis to make an impact in a multifaceted way for their offense to function without their star.

On defense, the Panthers haven’t been great as they average 25.1 allowed points per game. Linebacker Shaq Thompson has been leader on the Carolina defense with a team-high 71 tackles (38 solo), four passes defensed and a forced fumble.

Defensive end Brian Burns is one of the most underrated pass rushers in the league. Burns has 33 tackles on the season including four sacks and three forced fumbles. Cornerback Donte Jackson leads the Panthers in interceptions with three on the season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will need to refocus after their loss to Saints on Sunday night. The Buccaneers will be led by their head coach, Bruce Arians, who’s in his second season as their head coach.

The Bucs offense will be led by the six-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Tom Brady. The former Patriot is coming off his worst game this season and needs to rebound in order to keep Tampa’s postseason hopes alive.

Brady has plenty of target to throw to including three very talented wide receivers in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown. He also has tight end Rob Gronkowski who is an asset as a blocker and receiver.

Brady needs to find a way to get the ball in all of their hands as they each have the ability to make big plays happen. Brady just needs time to make quick and smart decisions.

The Buccaneers defense did not have a good week last Sunday as the New Orleans Saints offense lit them up. The Bucs defense is still one of the top defenses in the league and will need to look like that on Sunday in order for them to get the win.

With the Panthers not having McCaffrey, the Bucs need to put pressure on Bridgewater and force turnovers. Jason Pierre-Paul has done a good job getting to quarterback and will need to continue that this upcoming game. Lavonte David and Devin White will also need to limit Davis as a running back and make Bridgewater beat them with his arm.

If the Bucs can make the Panthers even more one-dimensional, they should have a good day by putting pressure on Bridgewater, forcing turnovers and getting out of Carolina with a victory.