TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (6-3 overall, 3-3 NFC SOUTH)
Head Coach: Bruce Arians (2nd season in Tampa)
Head-to-Head: Panthers lead all-time series 24-16
Offensive Strength: The Bucs have Tom Brady, whom many NFL experts consider the greatest quarterback of all time. There’s also a solid group of wide receivers and tight end Rob Gronkowski to help Brady. Tampa has also added Antonio Brown at receiver. At one point not long ago, he was deemed to be the best in the game at his position. When these teams meet in Week 2, Tampa jumped out to a big lead and it looked as it was going to be a blowout. But the offense of the Bucs slowed and was rather ineffective in the second half, which allowed Carolina to mount a comeback that fell just short.
Offensive Weakness: The run game for Tampa isn’t one that will take much notice. The Bucs are 30th in the NFL in rushing yards per game at 92.1. Ronald Jones II is averaging a respectable 4.5 yards per carry and newly acquired Leonard Fournette is right there, too. Even so, the team is more reliant on the right arm of Brady, which has hurt the offense on occasion. There’s no better example of that then when they got blown out by New Orleans.
Defensive Strength: Tampa has one of the better defenses in the NFL, allowing just 22.6 points per game. The main reason is because of the defensive front, which constantly harasses quarterbacks and has the best run defense in the NFL, yielding just 77.9 yards a game. Tampa is also 4th in the NFL with a +5 takeaway margin.
Defensive Weakness: There isn’t a lot to not like about this side of the ball for Tampa. The secondary, which was considered early on to be the weak spot of the defense, has come on nicely and is rounding into shape. But the secondary relies on the front putting pressure on the quarterback, which has led to turnovers. However, should the defensive line not supply that pressure, the secondary can become vulnerable.
Special Teams: Former South Carolina Gamecock Ryan Succop is as steady and solid as they come. He’s only missed two field goals and one extra point.
Injuries:
PANTHERS
OUT: RB Christian McCaffrey (shoulder), RB Reggie Bonnafon, LT Russell Okung, DE Stephen Weatherly
QUESTIONABLE: DE Yetur Gross-Matos, DE Marquis Haynes, CB Donte Jackson, DE Austin Larken
BUCCANEERS
QUESTIONABLE: CB Carlton Davis, WR Jaydon Mickens
Matchup vs. Carolina: The Panthers are expected to be without star tailback Christian McCaffrey, who hurt his right shoulder in his first game back since sustaining a high ankle sprain against Tampa and missing six games. As a result, they will turn back to Mike Davis to carry the load, but his last few games without McCaffrey were a struggle. Tampa will look to stop Davis early and make quarterback Teddy Bridgewater have to win by throwing. The secondary for Carolina is getting healthy again, which is desperately needed when facing Brady. This entire game could come down to which offensive line protects their quarterback best so he can find receivers downfield.
Quotable:
“I think we’re trying to figure (our offensive identity) out,” Brady said. “We’re trying to figure out how to get everybody involved and put together a lot of different pieces that have never been together, including myself.”