4 keys to a Panthers upset win vs. Buccaneers in Week 10
The Carolina Panthers are once again significant underdogs for today’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. BetMGM currently has Tampa favored to win by about a touchdown.
Here are four keys to follow to give them better odds.
Offense: Protect Teddy Bridgewater, find the weak link
We are betting that last week’s collapse against New Orleans was more of a fluke than a sign something is deeply broken in this Tampa defense. The Bucs are still ranked No. 1 in defensive DVOA just ahead of the Steelers and we know they can bring pressure. Last time these teams met, Teddy Bridgewater took five sacks. Not a whole lot else will matter offensively if their pass protection doesn’t improve dramatically. Doing so will require a team effort, but the left side of the offensive line in particular has been shaky of late. Matt Paradis, Chris Reed and whoever winds up at left tackle have to buck up.
Before Todd Bowles came along, you used to be able to pick on Tampa Bay’s defensive backs all day. Now it’s much more difficult finding the weak links and exploiting them. Carolina may have caught a break this week, though. Starting left cornerback Carlton Davis has a knee injury and is listed as questionable. If he plays, he likely won’t be 100%. If he doesn’t, it will be worth testing his backup with some shots down the field.
Defense: Contain Mike Evans, pressure Tom Brady
The Buccaneers are also loaded on offense, of course. This year they’ve added several high-profile veteran weapons, including Rob Gronkowski, LeSean McCoy, Leonard Fournette and Antonio Brown. It was a familiar foe who did most of the damage in Week 2, though. Wide receiver Mike Evans caught seven of 10 targets, totaling 104 yards and one touchdown. Rasul Douglas is the most likely candidate to cover him. He’ll need to perform far better than he did last week against the Chiefs when he made a few glaring coverage errors that resulted in explosive gains for KC.
One reason Evans was able to post such big numbers was Carolina’s complete inability to pressure his quarterback. Tom Brady was not sacked and took only one hit last time. The Panthers pass rush has improved a great deal since early in the season, though. Superstar defensive end Brian Burns can’t do it all, though – he needs the other defensive linemen to step up and pull their weight.
