Buccaneers vs. Panthers 2023 NFL Week 18 Odds, Preview & Pick

By Hank Blaine • January 3, 2024

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had won four straight but in NFL Week 17 the rival New Orleans Saints ended the streak. Tampa can still make the playoffs. In fact, if the Buccaneers beat the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Baker Mayfield and his mates score a trip to the postseason. Will Tampa get it done? Or will the Panthers pull off a shocking victory?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers Game Information

The stage is set.#GoBucs pic.twitter.com/oqhWncLh4n
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) January 1, 2024

When: Sunday, January 7th, 2024. 1:00pm EST.
Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
TV: FOX
Radio: 97.9 FM WXTB (Buccaneers) // WRFX 99.7 The FOX (Panthers)
Live Stream: NFL+
NFL Odds: Buccaneers (-4.5) // Panthers (+4.5)

Why Bet on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

Tampa’s defense is one of the reasons the team has had success this season. Even in the loss to the Saints, Tampa yielded just 23 points.

Tampa held the Panthers to 18 points in the last head-to-head. The Bucs sacked Carolina QB Bryce Young 4 times for 29 lost yards.

Antoine Winfield Jr. picked off Young. Tampa will bring the same level of pressure on Sunday that they brought to Young and Carolina’s offense in the first matchup.

Baker Mayfield has proven to be one of the NFL’s better quarterbacks. Nobody is going to confuse Mayfield with Tom Brady, but he has done enough to put Tampa into this position to repeat as NFC South champions.

The Saints goaded Mayfield in to a couple of interceptions. They also sacked Baker twice, which is why Mayfield lists as questionable. No doubt, though, Mayfield will play.

Why Bet on the Carolina Panthers?

In 3 of Carolina’s last 4 games, the defense has been as bad as it gets. The Packers scored 33 in a loss, the Saints scored 28 in a defeat, and the Jags dropped 36.

Carolina’s D played great when holding the Atlanta Falcons to 7 points in a 9-7 win. The Panthers defense is going to have to come up with a gem against because the offense is worse than the defense.

,p>How bad is Carolina’s offense? The Panthers laid a goose egg against the Jaguars. That’s bad. Scoring just 6 against the Saints, and 10 versus the Cowboys and the Titans, the Panthers lost all 3 games, is also bad. It’s too easy to blame everything on Bryce Young.

Most of the offense’s ineptitude isn’t Young’s fault. He’s the beneficiary of a terrible offensive line, bad play-calling, and zero legit wideouts that can stretch the field.

Buccaneers vs. Panthers Betting Trends

Tampa Bay is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 games.
The Buccaneers are 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
The totals went over in 4 of Tampa Bay’s last 6 games.
Carolina is 1-8 SU in the last 9 games.
The Panthers are 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games played in January.
The totals went under in 8 of Carolina’s last 10 games.

Buccaneers vs. Panthers Expert Betting Predictions

The Carolina Panthers plan playing their starters. So the Buccaneers should see the best the Panthers have to offer. However, Tampa Bay is the much better team.

The Saints had the personnel to play a specific defense agianst Mayfield, one that confused the Tampa QB. Carolina doesn’t have the same personnel.

The Panthers don’t have a corner that can cover Mike Evans one-on-one. Also, Carolina’s D is going to struggle to pressure Mayfield, who is one of the better out of the pocket passers in the NFL.

Don’t let Tampa’s performance versus the Saints fool you. New Orleans’ roster is ten times better than Carolina’s. Tampa scores the cover victory and wins the NFC South.

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*All stated odds are subject to change without prior notice.