Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Carolina Panthers Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can Tom Brady, Bucs Lock in NFC South Title?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Carolina Panthers Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can Tom Brady, Bucs Lock in NFC South Title?

The Panthers travel down to sunny Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a Sunday afternoon NFC South matchup. Can the Bucs get back on track and win their division? Let's get into it.

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Panthers vs. Buccaneers Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds

• Date: January 1, 2023
• Gametime: 1:00 pm ET
• Where to watch: FOX

Click here for the odds

Panthers vs. Buccaneers Prediction 

The Carolina Panthers vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will clash from the sunshine State for a pivotal NFC South matchup on Sunday afternoon. The Bucs come into this game supporting a record of 7-8 on the year. Tampa will have an opportunity to get back to the .500 mark for the first time in a long time. This has not been a good year for a team that was one of the favorites entering the season to win the super bowl. The significance of today's game is that if Tampa can win, they have an opportunity to lock up the division despite the poor record. If Carolina wins? They jump Tampa Bay and control their own destiny going into the final week of the season.

If you had told me before the year that a team who was 6-9 and has started three different quarterbacks this season could lead a division with a win in Week 17, I would have called you crazy, but here we are.

It has been a weird season for the Panthers. They started the year with Baker Mayfield as their quarterback, and that did not work out, so they turned to Pj Walker. Walker struggled as well, so they handed the keys to former top pick Sam Darnold, and he has run with the opportunity. It has not just been quarterback changes for the Panthers. This is a team that fired their head coach Matt Rhule. So the bottom line here is that this team has been through a lot of adversity this year, and as the smoke clears, they have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs with a win today. The Panthers defeated the Bucs the first time these two teams played, and it was not even close. Tampa did not score a touchdown in the game and lost 21-3. Pj Walker was the quarterback for Carolina in that game. 

I am all over the Bucs today on this -3 spread. I genuinely think that this line should be -5.5/6, but we are getting a perfect buy-low opportunity on Tampa here. This is not a great Tampa team here, but this is the Carolina Panthers that we are talking about. Carolina has no business competing for the playoffs. This is not a good team on either side of the football, and I expect a vintage Tom Brady performance today after being embarrassed the last time these two teams played. I would be shocked if Carolina beat the Bucs two times this season and if they went into Tampa and stole the game today. I will gladly ride with Tom Brady and the boys in this spot! 

Panthers vs. Buccaneers Pick

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers -3 (-120) Bet $100 to collect $183. Unibet has the best odds, click here to bet

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