The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8) will host the Carolina Panthers (6-9) in a critical NFC South matchup on Sunday. The Panthers beat the Bucs 21-3 as a 13-point home underdog when these teams met on October 23. The Buccaneers had won and covered the spread in four straight head-to-head matchups prior to that.
After starting the season 1-4 which led to the firing of head coach Matt Rhule, there were no serious playoff talks in Carolina. Under interim head coach Steve Wilks, the Panthers have gone 5-5 including winning three of their last four games. Sam Darnold has been the starting quarterback in each of those last four games.
On Christmas Eve, the Panthers beat the Lions 37-23 at home. Carolina outgained Detroit 570 to 381 in total yards. The Panthers rushed for 320 yards on 43 carries with D'Onta Foreman picking up 165 yards and Chuba Hubbard adding 125 of those yards on the ground. Sam Darnold went 15 for 22 passing with 250 yards and a touchdown pass to DJ Moore, who caught five passes for 83 yards.
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Carolina needs to beat the Bucs on Sunday to stay alive in the NFC South race, and if they win the following week against New Orleans, they will take the NFC South. If the Panthers beat Tampa Bay and lose next week, the scenarios are more complex, but what's most important for now is that the Panthers must win on Sunday.
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