The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers will face off on Sunday, January 7th at 1:00 ET. You can find this week 18 NFL game between the Buccaneers and Panthers on FOX. .

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS VS CAROLINA PANTHERS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Carolina Panthers +5.5

This game will be played at Bank of America Stadium at 1:00 ET on Sunday, January 7th.

WHY BET THE CAROLINA PANTHERS:

  • We have this one finishing with a projected score of 19-18 in favor of the Buccaneers.
  • Our projections have Baker Mayfield finishing with 267.703 passing yards on 23.223/37.885 passing.
  • The Buccaneers are projected to finish with 306 yards of offense compared to the 289 yards for the Panthers.

Can the Buccaneers Live Up to the Hype on the Road?

This season, the Buccaneers currently hold an overall record of 8-8, placing them 1st in the NFC-South. They’ve achieved this record with a 5-6 record as underdogs and 3-2 when favored. The Buccaneers have put together an above .500 record versus the spread this season, currently at 10-6. Their average scoring margin for this season is +0.9.

Offensively, the Buccaneers have an average of 21.2 points per game, which positions them 16th in the NFL. Tampa Bay’s passing offense enters this week’s game with a ranking of 15th in passing yards. Furthermore, they hold the 18th spot in attempts, averaging 33.5 passes per game.

At 87.2 rushing yards per game, the Buccaneers are currently ranked 31st in the NFL. In terms of attempts, they are carrying the ball an average of 25.6 time per game which is 22nd.

The Buccaneers currently rank 6th in tackles for loss and 7th in sacks on the defensive side. Their opponents are averaging 20.3 points per game and 353.3 yards per contest against them.

Can The Panthers Secure a Home Victory?

Heading into week 18,Carolina is in 4th place in the NFC-South, sitting with an overall record of 2-14. In the NFC, they find themsevles in 16th place. So far this season, the Panthers have an average scoring margin of -10.7. Their ATS record is 4-10-2 and they have been the underdog in all of their games.

This season, the Carolina offense has an average of 14.8 points, placing them 28th in the league. Coming into this week’s game Carolina’s passing game is ranked 31st in passing yards. Additionally, they are positioned 10th in pass attempts, with an average of 35.5 passes per game.

Carolina comes in with an average of 3.9 yards per rushing attempt and have an average of 26 attempts per game. In terms of total rushing yards, they are currently ranked 20th in the league.

Defensively, the Panthers come into the game allowing an average of 175.1 passing yards per game and 123.0 rushing yards. When it comes to sacks, Carolina ranks 18th among other defenses. Overall, they are giving up 25.4 points on 298.1 yards.