Buccaneers vs Panthers: Odds, Spread, Preview: NFL Week 7 Predictions

Buccaneers vs Panthers matchup preview and current betting lines

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are fresh off one of the most embarrassing losses in recent history. They lost straight-up vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates despite being 9.5-point favorites, failing to move the chains more often than not.

Tom Brady was spotted throwing temper tantrums and ripping his teammates on the sidelines after every drive. However, and despite some dismal O-line play, it’s not like he did much to help their winning cause, either.

The Carolina Panthers held on during the first half vs. the Los Angeles Rams before they ran away with it late in the game. Poor QB play and a struggling offense were at the full display again, and now they won’t have Robbie Anderson after that trade with the Arizona Cardinals.

Divisional games always have a special feel to them. The Panthers know they won’t make the playoffs, but would love to make Brady and the Bucs a little more miserable. Nonetheless, that’ll be way easier said than done.

Players to watch:

Tom Brady: Tom Brady continues to make the rounds for his tantrums and not for his playing skills. He blames the offensive line, but has looked quite mortal as of late. That’s usually terrible news for the next bad team that comes across him, and the Carolina Panthers fit that mold.

Christian McCaffrey: Christian McCaffrey has been elite as per usual, leading the Panthers’ offense week in and week out. However, the team is reportedly fielding calls for him, so they could look to take a cautious approach with their injury-prone superstar.

Week 7 Predictions: NFL Bet of the week on Buccaneers vs Panthers

Buccaneers -11

The opening Buccaneers vs Panthers spread has the home side favored by 11 points. That may seem like a lot considering we’re talking about a divisional game, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have underperformed for most of the season, but we actually believe it’s right on point.

The Panthers crumbled under pressure when they could’ve made it a game vs. the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams didn’t play a good game and Matthew Stafford made countless mistakes, yet their defense fell apart and their offense was simply incompetent.

The Bucs are hurt and craving a huge bounce-back win after that humiliation in Pittsburgh. However, the Steelers boast one of the best coaches in the game in Mike Tomlin, and that’s not even close to the case with the Panthers and interim coach Steve Wilks.

Tom Brady needs to make a statement and prove that he’s still the top dog in the game, so we like the Bucs to be as ruthless as they can when they host a beatable team that’s likely to finish with a top-3 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. They should win by at least two touchdowns.

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Over 40.5

The opening Buccaneers vs Panthers odds have the game sitting at just 40.5 points. The Panthers’ offense looks dead in the water right now, and they lost one of their big-play threats in Robbie Anderson, so we get it. But this is still way too low, all things considered.

The Buccaneers’ defense has been shaky, to say the least. They’ve given up big plays on the ground week in and week out, and they’ll face one of the most dynamic and explosive running backs in the game in Christian McCaffrey. So, the Panthers should get at least 10 points.

And just like we mentioned before, we believe the Bucs will keep their foot on the gas throughout the whole game and make the most of every single chance they have to score, which should be plenty. Tom Brady is ruthless, especially when he wants to make a point.

We wouldn’t be shocked to see the Bucs top the 25-point plateau in the first half of this game alone. So, even though the total is rightfully low, given how bad both teams have looked offensively, an inspired, motivated Tom Brady could single-handedly make this game go over.

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