Holding on to Hope: Panthers vs. Buccaneers NFL Week 17 Betting Pick
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are holding to their last shred of hope as they prepare to host the Carolina Panthers, on Sunday January 1st, 2017.
The game, set to kickoff at 1:00 PM ET at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, is the last chance for the Buccaneers to enter the post-season. Albeit, this is nearly an impossibility as the only way they get to play in the post-season is if 9 out of the 16 games being played that day go their way, including a win over one of the most disappointing teams in the league this season, the Panthers.
Even though the Carolina Panthers are not even a shadow of the team they were last year, the Buccaneers are not going to have an easy time against them, Tampa Bay has had a tough time against Carolina in their last 7 matches, having one only one of them, but the good news is that was earlier this year.
Betting Tampa Bay vs. Carolina
If Tampa Bay is going to win against Carolina, the first order of business is for quarterback Jameis Winston to get out of the funk he has been into lately and get his act together, he cannot win any game if he continues to throw interceptions and fumble the ball like he has in the last two games.
As for Carolina, they donít have anything to play for, except maybe save some face, they are in last place in the NFC South. Their quarterback, Cam Newton has had his fair share of struggles this year, he needs to give the franchise a reason to keep him as the starting quarterback. Last week, he only completed 18 out of 43 pass attempts, in 16 of those attempts he totally missed his target. Completing less than 50% of the passes is not what you expect from an elite quarterback, but that is how badly Newton has performed this season.
Earlier this week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were listed as 3.5 point favorites at AceSportsbook.com the total was designated as 47.5. Tampa Bay is 2-5 against the spread in the last 7 games against the Carolina Panthers. But this game should tell a different story; this is a matchup between the number 13th Buccaneers and the number 28th rated Carolina Panthers, clearly this opponent is not the same as the one they faced in the past.
Tampa Bayís offense is ranked as number 18th scoring an average of 22.47 points per game, in contrast the Panthersí defense is ranked as the number 27th allowing an average of 25.67 points per game. When it comes to passing defense, the Panthers are allowing 273.53 air yards per game on average, which is more than the average 249 yards that the Buccaneers are achieving per game. The Panthers have a much better run defense, so you can expect Tampa Bay to rely on their air attack.
Prediction
In my opinion, there is no contest here, the Buccaneers will win and cover the spread, and I fully expect the total in this game to under 47.5, my prediction is a final score of Buccaneers 30-16. I am certain the Buccaneers win this game, whether they make it into the post-season or not is frankly based on a hail Mary.
Bet on your favorites NFL Week 17 games, at Ace Sportsbook:
More Predictions Here:
New England Patriots Vs Miami Dolphins
