Brady, Bucs look to continue dominance against Panthers

Thu, Oct 20, 2022
NFL News (AP)

TAMPA BAY (3-3) at CAROLINA (1-5)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox

OPENING LINE: Buccaneers by 10 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Tampa Bay 2-4, Carolina 1-5.

SERIES RECORD: Panthers lead 24-19.

LAST MEETING: Buccaneers beat Panthers 41-17 on Jan. 9, 2022, at Tampa Bay.

LAST WEEK: Buccaneers lost to Steelers 20-18; Panthers lost to Rams 24-10.

BUCCANEERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (21), RUSH (32), PASS (6), SCORING (20).

BUCCANEERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (7), RUSH (14), PASS (7), SCORING (5).

PANTHERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (32), RUSH (26), PASS (29), SCORING (t-23).

PANTHERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (21), RUSH (26), PASS (17), SCORING (t-27).

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Buccaneers plus-3; Panthers minus-2.

BUCCANEERS PLAYER TO WATCH: The previous time a Tom Brady-led team had a .500 record this deep into a season was 2012. The seven-time Super Bowl winner is 4-0 against Carolina since joining the Bucs in 2020 with 10 TD passes and one interception. Tampa Bay outscored Carolina 150-63 in those games. He threw for four touchdowns and ran for one during a pair of victories over the Panthers last season.

PANTHERS PLAYER TO WATCH: P.J. Walker makes his second straight start at quarterback with Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold both dealing with ankle injuries. Walker struggled last week, completing just 10 of 16 passes for 60 yards in a 24-10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. His throws were almost exclusively screen passes as the Panthers stayed conservative to avoid turnovers. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Walker's average intended air yards was 0.1 yards - which means that the average depth of his throws was barely past the line of scrimmage.

KEY MATCHUP: Buccaneers WR Mike Evans vs. Panthers secondary. Evans has given the Panthers fits, particularly since the arrival of Brady. Evans had 89 yards receiving and two scores in the previous meeting and aims for his fourth game in a row with a TD catch against Carolina. He has had at least six catches for 75 or more yards in each of the past four games vs. Carolina with Brady at the helm.

KEY INJURIES: Bucs S Logan Ryan (foot) is out after being placed on injured reserve. Veteran TE Kyle Rudolph could get more playing time with TE Cameron Brate (neck) sidelined. The status of WR Julio Jones (knee), CB Sean Murphy-Bunting (quad), S Mike Edwards (elbow) and DT Akiem Hicks (foot) will be evaluated as the week progresses. ... Panthers CB C.J. Henderson and Donte Jackson (concussion) are expected to play and Jaycee Horn (ribs) is likely to return this week leaving the Panthers at full strength at that position. ... OLB Frankie Luvu (shoulder) is expected to return this week, too.

SERIES NOTES: The Bucs have won six of the past seven against the Panthers.

STATS AND STUFF: The Bucs are averaging 20.2 points through six games, down from just over 30 per game in 2021, when they were the NFL's second-highest scoring team. They've been held to 21 points or fewer in five of six games. ... QB Tom Brady hasn't thrown an interception since Week 1 at Dallas. ... RB Leonard Fournette is a big part of Tampa Bay's passing game. He has 32 receptions, third in the league among running backs behind Austin Ekeler (41) and Christian McCaffrey (33). Fournette has at least five catches and a TD receiving in three straight games. ... The Bucs are third in the league with 21 sacks. A league-high 11 different defenders have at least one. ... The Panthers have lost 12 of their past 13 games overall and nine of their past 10 games at home. ... P.J. Walker is 2-1 as an NFL starter despite eight interceptions and two TD passes. ... RB Christian McCaffrey and Cleveland RB Nick Chubb are the only players in the league with at least 100 yards from scrimmage in five games this season. ... The Panthers are last in the league in third down offense, converting just 23.6% of their opportunities, and are also 32nd in time of possession. ... Carolina's defense has scored three touchdowns. ... Carolina DT Derrick Brown had a career day vs. the Rams, racking up a career-high seven tackles while combining for a sack. Brown is 12th league-wide among defensive linemen with 24 tackles.

FANTASY TIP: Bucs WR Chris Godwin has 35 receptions and is averaging 17.5 yards per catch and 87.3 yards per game in seven outings vs. the Panthers. Brady targeted him a team-high 12 times in last week's loss at Pittsburgh, with Godwin finishing with six receptions for 95 yards but no TDs.

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