Carolina Panthers vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12/26/21 NFL Picks, Predictions, Odds
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-4) vs. Carolina Panthers (5-9)
December 26, 2021 1:00 pm EDT
The Line: Carolina Panthers +10.5 ; Over/Under: 44
(Get latest betting odds)
The Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers meet Sunday in a week 16 NFL NFC South battle from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Tampa Bay is sitting at 10-4 so far. The Buccaneers lost to the Saints in their last game. As for the Panthers, they’re 5-9 this year and coming off a loss to the Bills. Check back all season long for free NFL picks at Sports Chat Place.
Tampa Bay went 6-3 over their first nine games, losing to the Rams, Saints and Washington. After a four-game win streak over the Giants, Colts, Falcons and Bills (OT), the Buccaneers took a shutout loss to New Orleans back on Sunday.
In the most recent matchup versus the Saints, Tampa Bay couldn’t get anything going on offense and was shut out 9-0. QB Tom Brady finished on 214 yards with an interception, and Ronald Jones put up 63 yards from eight carries.
Over on the Carolina side, they hit a 4-5 run over their first nine, falling to the Cowboys, Eagles, Vikings, Giants and Patriots along the way. The Panthers are 1-4 since with losses to Washington, Miami, Atlanta and Buffalo.
Matched up against the Bills back on Sunday, the Panthers went into halftime down 17-8. Carolina was outscored 14-6 from there in a 31-14 loss. QB Cam Newton finished on 156 yards, one TD and one interception, and led the rush with 71 yards and a score.
The Bucs are 4-1 ATS in their last five overall and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 after an ATS loss. Tampa Bay is 2-5 ATS in their last seven road games.
Meanwhile, the Panthers are 7-18-1 ATS in their last 26 at home and 2-6 ATS in their last eight versus the NFC. Carolina is 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 in December.
PICK: I’m probably sticking with the Bucs here. Tampa had all sorts of issues in the Saints game, ultimately posting 302 yards of offense with 17 first downs, 6-of-19 on third-down tries and a pair of turnovers. It was an uncharacteristic outing from a team that had previously hit 30 or more points in four straight games.
As for Carolina, they haven’t scored more than 21 points for four straight weeks (all losses) and have lost by double-digits in two of those games. Tampa Bay should bounce back here, and I expect the Bucs to take out their frustrations against an overmatched Panthers team.
