Buccaneers vs Panthers Odds Week 18: Who Is Favored To Win This NFC South Rivalry?

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Buccaneers vs Panthers Odds: Who Is Favored To Win?

Tampa Bay is favored at -1 vs the Panthers in the first game of the season in which they are considered the favorites, and would need to win by two points to cover the spread.

BuccaneersSpread: NATotalMoneyline
PanthersSpread: NATotalMoneyline

In a game at features the expected bottom two teams in the NFC South, the Bucs and Panthers don't play their first game against each other until week 13. This game is the first, and only, game currently that the Bucs are favored in - a game in which their implied probability is only 51%. Both teams are rebuilding behind new quarterbacks, reloading talent, and in both cases, made many changes to their coaching staff this offseason, with Carolina bringing in an entire new coaching staff, compared to the Bucs who offloaded much of their previous staff in hopes they could get out of the offensive doldrums they occupied last season.

🗣️ Tampa Bay Buccaneers Playoff Chances

Latest Buccaneers vs Panthers Odds, Updates, & News

Both the Bucs and the Panthers will look vastly different this season compared to last, with Carolina building for the future behind Bryce Young and Tampa trying to find a quarterback to complement their elite wide receiver options.

  • December 3, 2023: The Bucs beat the Panthers 21-19 in their first matchup of the season.
  • November 27, 2023: Frank Reich is fired as Panthers Head Coach.
  • April 27, 2023: The Carolina Panthers trade up in the 2023 NFL Draft and select University of Alabama quarterback Bryce Young as the number one overall pick.
  • March 15, 2023: The Bucs resigned Pro Bowl linebacker Lavonte David to a one-year deal.
  • March 20th - 23rd, 2023: The Panthers announced the signings of veteran safety Von Bell, wide receiver Adam Thielen, running back Miles Sanders, and wide receiver DJ Chark to help provide leadership to a young team
  • February 1, 2023: Tom Brady, former Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback and future hall of famer, announced his retirement
  • January 26, 2023: Frank Reich, former head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, is announced as the new Panthers head coach.

🗣️ Buccaneers Super Bowl Odds

Buccaneers vs Panthers Spread: What The Spread Tells Us

As one-point favorites, the Bucs are barely expected to win this game, and if the game was not in Tampa, they would likely be considered underdogs. The Bucs, who are underdogs in their other sixteen games this season, will obviously hope to prey on a rookie starting quarterback in Bryce Young with their potentially stout defense. The Bucs were 4-13-1 against the spread last season, but with such a different team it would be tough to ascribe much from that data. Since this line open originally at Bucs -1/-110 it has not moved.

Buccaneers vs Panthers Line: What The Moneyline Tells Us

The money line for this game, with the Bucs at -115 and the Panthers at -106, gives the Bucs only a 51% implied probability to win, barely better than a coin flip, according to oddsmakers. This is the closest money line for the Bucs all season and the only one where they have shorter odds than their opponent to win. So far, the money line has not moved since it opened, but with so many questions surrounding both teams expect a myriad of changes throughout the season.

Bucs’ Chances To Win vs Panthers

The Bucs are currently an enigma of a team as they try to move on after the retirement of Tom Brady. They signed veteran Baker Mayfield to be QB1, and while he has been named the starter, former second-round draft pick Kyle Trask is still nipping at his heels. However, neither quarterback is likely capable of leading them to the second-best passing offense in the NFL, as Tom Brady did, and certainly if not, they can't afford to have the worst rushing attack in the NFL, like they did last season. The Bucs and the Panthers are two teams that there is almost no expectations for this year. Carolina is looking to rebuild for their future, while the Bucs try to figure out what their future is.

How Tampa Bay Beats Carolina

Tampa Bay is, to put it bluntly, not going to be good this season if you look at preseason analysis and metrics of what their team is returning. However, they still do have one of the best wide receiver groups in the NFL in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and a strong defensive line and linebackers that should allow them to be competitive against a bad Panthers team. They will need to make sure that starting quarterback Baker Mayfield doesn't turn the ball over and if Evans and Godwin can make plays, and their stout (-enough) defense can contain Bryce Young they can win - and right now, are expected to...barely.

  • Strength: Wide Receiver
  • Weakness: Running Back

How Carolina Beats Tampa Bay

The Panthers are not a very talented team, either, but if their very mobile quarterback Bryce Young is able to make plays, force Baker Mayfield into his oft-mistaken-prone ways, and keep the Bucs from establishing a run, it's not hard to think they could win. They have one of the best linebacker groups in the NFL and their safeties can make plays - so if Young, who is unknown right now, can establish himself as a solid quarterback - then they can win. It may not be pretty, but it is possible.

  • Strength: Linebacker
  • Weakness: Wide Receiver

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History of Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Carolina Panthers Games

The Bucs and Panthers first squared off against the Panthers in Carolina's inaugural season in 1995, a game in which the Bucs won 20-13. They played a few more times, sporadically, until in 2002 they joined the new NFC South, which has had the two teams compete twice a year since. They have yet to meet each other in the playoffs.

Buccaneers Record vs Panthers

The Panthers hold the overall series lead 25-20, in a relatively evenly matched tit-for-tat between the two teams. The Panthers are 13-10 against the Bucs at home in Charlotte, NC, whereas, the Bucs are just 10-12 in Tampa against the Panthers.

The largest margin of victory came in 2011 when the Panthers beat the Bucs 48-16. Just a few years later, the Panthers, starting in 2013, rattled off a six-game win streak until 2016, which is the longest streak any team has had in the series.

The two teams are 5-5 against each other in their last 10 games.

All-Time Best Bucs vs Panthers Games

The Panthers and Bucs rivalry started in 2002 when they both joined the newly created NFC South and it didn't take long for tensions to rise. Both teams have won the division five times and in many cases, wins against the other, were the deciding factor to win the division.

Game 1: September 14, 2003

The Buccaneers led by quarterback Brad Johnson, statistically should have dominated this game throwing for over 300 yards, while the Panthers were held to under 100 yards in regulation through the air. The strong Panthers defense held Tampa Bay to just three points (leading 9-3), until the final play of the game in which the Bucs threw a touchdown tieing the game at 9-9, with an extra-point go. Bucs kicker Martin Gramatica, who was otherwise almost automatic, missed the PAT and the game went to overtime, where the Panthers ended up winning 12-9 after punt returner Steve Smith returned a punt 52 yards to put them in a position to win.

Game 2: November 9, 2003

Just a few weeks later, the Bucs found themselves up 20-7 heading into the fourth quarter. The Panthers, and quarterback Jake Delhomme, rallied and scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and earned the moniker "The Cardiac Cats" for their relentless effort in the second half of football games. The Panthers ended up winning the division in 2003 en route to their only Super Bowl appearance later that season.

Game 3: September 24, 2006

In this infamous game, both teams were 0-2 and neither were expected to be very good. In the third quarter, Bucs quarterback Chris Simms was hit and left the game, with what was diagnosed as a bruised rib. A few minutes later he returned to the game and led the team on a drive that resulted in a field goal that put them ahead in the game. However, Simms was hit numerous times on the drive. The Panthers ended up kicking a field goal at the end of the game to win 26-24, but Simms was still in aggravating pain. He was admitted into the hospital where it was discovered he had a ruptured spleen and had he not sought out medical attention, could have been fatal. That was his last game as a member of the Bucs as he was placed on injured reserve and left the team the next season.

Buccaneers vs Panthers FAQ

Author

Dan Thompson is a Lead Betting Analyst for FloridaBet.com. Dan's unique experience makes him the perfect fit to find the latest storylines and interesting betting angles impacting Florida sports betting.

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