Here is who national experts are predicting will win Panthers-Buccaneers game
Last week, Carolina had defensive issues (and maybe some headset issues, too) in a loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Tampa Bay didn’t exactly start the Tom Brady era the way it had planned, losing at New Orleans.
Heading into Sunday, both NFC South rivals are 0-1.
This week, the Panthers will look to give new head coach Matt Rhule his first win. “TOM-pa” Bay looks to get Brady his first win in pewter.
Here’s what football experts are saying about Sunday’s game. An early preview: it doesn’t look good for the black and blue. According to NFL Pick Watch, 172 of 225 experts have turned in predictions for Sunday’s game (through Friday morning). Of those, 92 percent are picking Tampa Bay.
▪ Sports Illustrated thinks the Panthers again give up points in bunches, losing 34-21: ”Even though Tampa Bay didn’t look great in week one, they are in a much better position right now than the Panthers,” SI’s Schuyler Callihan writes. “They have a terrific defensive front seven and depth all over their roster. The Bucs depth will be the difference maker in the second half.”
And all six of the SI’s Monday Morning Quarterback staff thinks the Bucs win.
▪ All eight CBS Sports experts think the Bucs win this week. Last week, four of them picked Las Vegas and four picked Carolina.
CBS’ Pete Prisco wrote “the Carolina defense is just what Tom Brady needs to get the offense going.” Prisco’s pick? Tampa Bay 35, Panthers 17.
▪ NFL.com’s Greg Rosenthal thinks Tampa Bay wins 30-23. He writes: “The Bucs were Christian McCaffrey’s kryptonite last season, holding him to 68 rushing yards and 110 yards from scrimmage combined in two games.”
▪ All nine of ESPN’s experts think the Bucs will win.
Carolina fans shouldn’t feel lonely. The whole group also is going with Dallas to beat Atlanta, Green Bay to beat Detroit, San Francisco to beat the Jets, Pittsburgh to beat Denver, the Cardinals to beat Washington and Seattle to beat New England. It’s a tough week for parity in the NFL.
▪ Both of Pro Football Talk’s writers think Bucs by 10. Michael Davis Smith (predicting a 30-20 final score) says: “No one should overreact to the Bucs’ disappointing Week One result. They’re still one of the top teams in the NFC.”
Mike Plorio (going 31-21) says: “The Bucs grabbed the shortest possible straw in Week One. The straw gets a lot longer for Week Two.”
▪ Bleacher Report thinks Bucs 35-24. The Sporting News thinks the same thing.
▪ SportsBook Wire thinks Bucs 26, Panthers 20: The Buccaneers, it says, “are expected to start their home schedule off with a win, heavily favored against the division-rival Panthers.”
▪ Finally, College football news thinks Bucs 31, Panthers 23, but that the game won’t be so much about Brady and Carolina running back Christian McCaffrey, who is the subject of a new GQ Magazine photoshoot and article.
“The focus will be on the superstar offensive guys in each team’s backfield,” the website says, “but the game will be more about the Tampa Bay defensive line than Brady or McCaffrey. The Carolina O line did a strong job against the Raiders, but the Buc defensive front will take over this week.”
This story was originally published September 20, 2020 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Here is who national experts are predicting will win Panthers-Buccaneers game."
