Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images
After both suffering Week 1 losses, the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face off in this divisional battle. The odds are considering the Buccaneers to be heavy home favorites, making this spread one of the more interesting NFL picks of the week.
All odds taken from Bovada Sportsbook.
The Carolina offense came to play in Week 1, using the new Matt Rhule system. They put up 30 points and had some fourth quarter success, but in the end, the defense was too poor to pull out the win. We are talking about a defensive unit that was the worst against the run, allowing 5.2 yards per rush last season. Then, you take Luke Kuechly away from that group. Yikes.
Yes, the Panthers have a lot of young talent, after they used every single draft pick on the defensive side of the ball. However, there is a learning period in the NFL, especially with an abbreviated offseason program to get ready.
Speaking of learning period, this Tom Brady-led Tampa offense clearly was not on the same page in Week 1. When they weren’t running the same rush up the middle to no success, Brady and his receivers were seeing the field differently, which led to miscommunication and mistakes. This will get better and, luckily, they play a defense that will offer preseason-like resistance, as shown in Week 1. This is a confidence-boosting week for this Tampa offense.
The only question about this group is health in the wide receiver room. Mike Evans played the majority of the snaps last week, after being limited with a hamstring injury. He should be good to play his full snaps against a weaker opponent here. However, we recently found out that Chris Godwin is in the concussion protocol. This is something to keep an eye on, as his absence would add yet another variable to an offense that already struggled in Week 1.
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All odds taken from Bovada Sportsbook.
Away Team Total Points: Over 19.5 (-110)
This Panthers offense has too much firepower to be completely locked down. Simply, this defense isn’t good enough to hold the Buccaneers in check all game long. So, either the game will remain close, due to this offense, or it will be a blowout, with an opportunity to hit this prop in garbage time. There are two roads to this hitting.
While I think Tampa wins this game, this spread has gotten out of control. As loaded as the Bucs’ offense is, Carolina has just as many offensive weapons, and they had better chemistry last week. They only need to keep it within single-digit points, and I think a combination of Christian McCaffrey and these receivers will lead to enough plays to do just that.
NFL Pick: Carolina Panthers +9.5
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This post was last modified on September 19, 2020 1:55 PM
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