The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on the road this week to go against the leagues worst team, the Carolina Panthers. In addition to being at the bottom of the league, the Panthers just traded away star RB Christian McCaffrey. The trade of McCaffrey comes just one week after they shipped veteran receiver Robbie Anderson to the Arizona Cardinals following a sideline dispute with a coach.
The Panthers will also be starting backup QB P.J. Walker against one of the best defenses in the league after their coaches stated Baker Mayfield will be out again with an ankle injury. This team is an absolute mess right now.
The lines on this game have moved drastically all week, especially after Thursday night’s trade. The game originally sat around -10 in favor of the Buccaneers but it was quickly steamed up to -13.
The Bucs are coming into Week 7 sitting at 3-3 after being upset on the road in Pittsburgh.
Buccaneers-Panthers: Week 7 NFL Bets & Predictions
Tom Brady will not have any trouble against the Panthers pass rush. The Bucs offensive line has been abysmal this season, but there’s nothing like facing a bottom 10 defense in almost every category. The Bucs are still trying to piece together their offensive line after dealing with injuries early in the season, but this week, Brady should have more time than usual to get the ball out to his receiving corps.
Brady has thrown a touchdown pass in every game this season and has only thrown one interception. The pick came in the first game of the season against the Dallas Cowboys. The Bucs sit right around the middle of the NFL in offensive DVOA despite their heightened passing metrics and bottom three rushing statistics.
Wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin looked poised to take advantage of this 25th ranked DVOA pass-defense. Meanwhile, holes should be able to open up better for running back Leonard Fournette who has struggled to get much going on the ground since his Week 1 performance against the Cowboys.
Where do you start with this Panthers team? Do you bring up the fact that they’ve only been able to muster up nine sacks in six games, or the 20th ranked team in QB hits, or maybe it’s the 24.3 points allowed per game. This team simply has not had an answer to anyone or anything this season. They have already fired their coach Matt Rhule and then got dominated against a Los Angeles Rams team that has not been able to finish a sandwich with their new head coach.
Panthers Offense Filled with Question Marks
Let’s start with what the Panthers offense will be coming in to the game with this week. At QB, they will use P.J. Walker who formerly played in the XFL. The running back carries will be split by D’Onta Foreman, Chuba Hubbard and Raheem Blackshear. Their top WR is still there in D.J. Moore but he held to less than 60 yards in every game this season. After that, it is anyone’s best guess to see who breaks out for more targets with Shi Smith, Terrace Marshall Jr. and Laviska Shenault Jr. all on the roster.
The Panthers have averaged 17.2 points per game this season but have not scored over 17 points in four of their six games this season.
The Buccaneers on the other hand may be struggling on offense, but have been much better on the defensive side of the ball. The Bucs rank fourth in total DVOA defense this season and are top 10 in every metric, while allowing just 17.2 points against per game.
Aside from their Week 4 game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bucs have held opponents to less than 21 points in every other game.
Final Buccaneers-Panthers Prediction & Pick:
The Bucs are 2-4 against the spread this year while the Panther are 1-5 against the spread.
The Bucs have hit the under in five of their games while the Panthers have hit the under in four of them.
The odds are long and as much I would love to get to play the Bucs around -10 right now, there is still concern that their offense won’t do enough to cover. This Bucs team could make this look very easy and still win by only 10 points, so a same-game teaser is the play this week.
Final Buccaneers-Panthers Pick: Under 39.5 & Buccaneers -13 teased 6 points to Under 45.5 & Buccaneers -7 (-120)
