The 3-6 Carolina Panthers will host the 6-3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10 at Bank of America Stadium in a classic NFC South matchup.
Both the Panthers and Buccaneers are coming off losses in Week 9.
Carolina, though it competed very well against the mighty Kansas City Chiefs, came up short by a final score of 33-31. Christian McCaffrey made his grand return to the lineup and scored two touchdowns. Unfortunately, he's going to miss the Buccaneers game after suffering a right shoulder injury. The superstar running back just can't seem to catch a break in 2020.
The Buccaneers, meanwhile, got blown out by the New Orleans Saints at home on Sunday Night Football by 36 points. Tom Brady threw three interceptions and was sacked three times as well. It was arguably the worst game of his Hall of Fame career, so the Panthers are likely in for a vintage game from Brady since he rarely has two bad games in a row.
With the Panthers-Buccaneers game almost here, let's take a look at four bold predictions for the contest from a Carolina perspective.
1. Teddy Bridgewater throws two touchdowns, one interception
In his first season with the Panthers, Teddy Bridgewater has thrown for 2,416 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also has six interceptions and is completing 71.9 percent of his passes.
Against the Buccaneers in Week 10, we have Bridgewater throwing two touchdowns and one interception. While Tampa Bay is allowing only 22.6 points per game–which is good for ninth in the NFL–they got torched by Bridgewater's old team and quarterback in Week 9, so we can assume that the Panthers gunslinger took some notes from the Saints-Bucs game.
In three career games against the Buccaneers, Bridgewater has thrown for five touchdowns and three interceptions while racking up 922 yards through the air. In Week 2 of this season against the Bucs, he was picked off two times and failed to throw a touchdown, though he did pass for 367 yards.
2. Mike Davis scores one rushing touchdown
With McCaffrey out, Mike Davis will get the starting nod at running back again. He's carried the ball 85 times this season for 353 yards and two touchdowns.
The Buccaneers have the best defense in the NFL when it comes to stopping the run. However, these are called bold predictions for a reason, so we have Davis scoring one rushing touchdown against Tampa Bay and breaking off a few solid runs as well to take the offensive pressure off of Bridgewater.
In two career games against the Buccaneers, Davis has rushed for just 22 yards on eight carries, though he does have one touchdown. Look for the veteran to run powerful in Week 10 and assert his will versus Tampa Bay's defensive line.
3. Robby Anderson eclipses 100 yards
In his first season with the Panthers after playing the first four years of his career with the New York Jets, Robby Anderson has caught 60 balls for 751 yards and one touchdown.
In Week 10 against the Buccaneers, we have Anderson recording his fourth 100-yard game of the season. He's too fast and elusive for Tampa Bay's secondary to keep up with and the 27-year-old has developed a nice rapport with Bridgewater on both the short and deep ball.
In two career games against the Buccaneers, Anderson has 13 receptions for 194 yards. He went off in Week 2 versus Tampa Bay, as Anderson racked up 109 yards on nine receptions. His fantasy owners should expect another big game in Week 10.
4. Panthers lose to Tampa Bay to drop to 3-7
As we mentioned above, the Buccaneers are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Saints in Week 9. With that being said, we just can't see Brady and Co. losing two games in a row, especially since Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians called out Brady for the second time this season.
We have the Panthers putting up a good fight against the Buccaneers, but ultimately, Tampa Bay is going to win this game and drop Carolina to 3-7 on the season.
The Buccaneers have the better head coach, quarterback, wide receiver group and defense. It's just going to be too much for the Panthers to overcome, especially with McCaffrey out.
The Panthers played very well against the Chiefs and almost pulled off the major upset in Week 9. However, that was with McCaffrey in the lineup. Without McCaffrey, the Panthers likely won't be able to keep up with Brady's offense, which will be playing angry and fast after failing to score in Week 9 against the Saints.
Carolina will miss the playoffs this season in the first year of the post-Cam Newton era. Some fans of the team believe McCaffrey should sit out the rest of the campaign so he doesn't risk getting hurt even more in a lost season.
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