Bucs vs. Panthers Total Prediction
The Tampa Bay Bucs are going back to Ryan Fitzpatrick under center for when they travel to Charlotte on Sunday to take on the Panthers at 1:00 p.m. ET. Will this NFC South matchup turn high-scoring for bettors?
Game Snapshot
457 Tampa Bay Bucs at 458 Carolina Panthers
1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, November 4
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Panthers are 6-point favorites to beat the Bucs. The total, meanwhile, sits at 55 points. As of this writing, 53% of the public betting tickets are on the Panthers to cover the point spread.
Tampa Bay Bucs
Buccaneers DT Gerald McCoy (calf) didn’t practice on Thursday. This is a downgrade for McCoy, who returned to practice, albeit in a limited capacity, for the first time in two weeks on Wednesday. It’s unclear if he suffered a setback or if the Bucs are just bringing him along slowly. He’s on the wrong side of questionable for Sunday’s matchup with Carolina.
Carolina Panthers
Cam Newton said his surgically-repaired shoulder “feels great.” Newton has not been throwing early in the week, and he opted out of a Hail Mary before halftime against the Ravens. That has raised concerns about his previously injured shoulder, but the Panthers and Newton have downplayed the issue, calling his practice participation the “new normal.” Newton did not look any worse for wear last week against a tough Ravens defense, and he gets a golden matchup with the Bucs this Sunday. He will be a high-end QB1 in that spot.
NFL Betting Trends
Tampa Bay
The over is 7-1 in the Bucs’ last eight games after accumulating more than 250 yards passing in their previous contest.
Carolina
The over is 6-1 in the Panthers’ last seven games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game.
Prediction
Newton, Christian McCaffrey and the rest of this Carolina offense has looked great under new coordinator Norv Turner. The Panthers are using McCaffrey out of the backfield in the passing game, Newton at the goal line as a dual-threat weapon, and are attacking teams downfield in traditional Norv Turner fashion. They shouldn’t get much resistance from a Tampa Bay defense that ranks in the bottom 5, especially with Gerald McCoy still banged up.
NFL Week 9 Prediction: Bucs/Panthers over 55