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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers both came up empty in Week 1, with Carolina losing to the Los Angeles Rams by a final score of 32-27 and the Buccaneers falling to the San Francisco 49ers 31-17. It was a rough opening week for both teams, but one of them will come away with a win in Week 2 action.
For the second week in a row, the NFL has put division rivals against each other on Thursday Night Football. Last week, the Green Bay Packers ended up coming through a win over the Chicago Bears by a final score of 10-3.
Both of these teams are going to be super hungry to get their first win of the season. Cam Newton and the Panthers are viewed as potential contenders in the NFC, while Jameis Winston and the Buccaneers are viewed as a team that could take a step forward from last season but still have a long way to go.
Bruce Arians and Ron Rivera are complete opposite specialty coaches. Arian is known for prolific offenses and big plays. Rivera is known for defenses that can shut powerful offenses down.
All of that being said, let's dive in and take a look at five bold predictions for this Week 2 matchup.
5. Carolina Ends Up with Five Sacks
The Panthers still have a lot of talent on the defensive side of the football, which will be on full display this week. Tampa Bay allowed three sacks to the 49ers in Week 1. Carolina is going to get to Winston at least five times throughout the course of this game.
Tampa Bay is hoping to see Winston take a big leap forward this season. His start in Week 1 did not go as planned, but he is hoping to come back strong this week. The Panthers are going to throw a lot of pressure at him.
4. Tampa Bay Will Force Three Turnovers
Next up, the Tampa Bay defense isn't going to lay down and be one-upped by the Panthers. While Carolina may get to the quarterback a lot throughout the game, the Buccaneers are going to make defensive plays another way.
Newton has been known to throw interceptions fairly often and that will be the case this week. By the end of the game, the Buccaneers will have forced three turnovers. They may not all come by interception, but the defense is going to give their offense a great chance to pick up a win with a good game.
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3. Christian McCaffrey Racks Up 200 Total Yards, Three Touchdowns
Carolina happens to have one of the best running backs in the NFL on their roster. Christian McCaffrey is not only a lethal running back, he is also a top-notch receiver. That bodes well for him to have a big game on Thursday night against the Buccaneers.
A big part of the Carolina offense revolves around getting McCaffrey the ball as much as they can. That will be the case again in Week 2 and he will respond with a massive game, racking up 200 total yards and three touchdowns.
2. Jameis Winston Explodes for 325 Yards, Three Touchdowns, No Interceptions
Tampa Bay is needing to see a better version of Winston this week against a talented Panthers' defense. He is going to rise to the occasion this week for the Buccaneers.
Winston is coming off of a very poor performance in Week 1 and the pressure is on his shoulders. He will end up exploding for at least 325 passing yards to go along with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Taking care of the football is a major focus for Winston and he will do just that while still putting up major production.
1. Tampa Bay Knocks Off the Panthers on the Road
Finally, we are going to predict a bit of an upset in this matchup. Tampa Bay and Carolina are both 0-1 on the year, but the Panthers are widely considered to be the better team. The Buccaneers don't care about predictions or on-paper comparisons and will come through with a big win.
The game should come down to the fourth quarter, but the Buccaneers' offense will get the job done. Winston and company are going to put up enough production to improve to 1-1 on the season. Carolina will drop to 0-2 and some concern will begin to grow in Charlotte.
