Bucs vs. Panthers Prediction
Will the Carolina Panthers rout their NFC South rivals the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when the two teams meet today in Carolina at 1:00 p.m. ET?
Who Oddsmakers Like: Carolina. According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Panthers are 10-point home favorites to beat the Bucs, who opened as 9-point road underdogs earlier in the week. As for the total, the number currently sits at 46.5 points after hitting the board at that same number.
Who the Public Likes: Carolina. As of this writing, 70% of the public bets are on the Panthers and 69% of the money is on Carolina to cover as well.
Who the Trends Like: The under and the Bucs. The under is 6-2 in the last eight meetings between these two teams and is 12-5 in the last 17 meetings between these two teams in Carolina. The underdog, meanwhile, has cashed in five of the last seven meetings while the road team has covered in six of the last seven meetings.
Who We Like: Carolina. The Bucs showed up on Monday night, I’ll give them that. Despite being depleted by injuries on both sides of the ball, they had an opportunity to send the game into overtime in the closing seconds but wound up losing by three in the end. It was a valiant effort by Jameis Winston and Mike Evans, who nearly pulled off an improbable victory virtually on their own.
That said, I don’t expect that same effort today. Yes, the Panthers are another NFC South rival for the Bucs. But unlike Monday night, this game isn’t in primetime and it isn’t at Raymond James Stadium. I sense that this Bucs team is about to mail it in and despite having to lay double-digit points on an inconsistent Carolina team, I think the Panthers roll.
The Panthers are 4-0 against the spread in their last four home games, they’re 6-1 against the number in their last seven games overall, and they’re 4-1 against the spread in their last five conference games. The Bucs, meanwhile, are just 1-5 against the spread in their last six divisional games, are 1-6-1 against the number in their last eight road games, and are 1-8 at the betting window in their last nine conference matchups.
NFL WEEK 16 PREDICTIONS: CAROLINA PANTHERS -10