Panthers vs. Buccaneers Prediction, Odds, Spread, Injuries, Trends for NFL Week 17

Iain MacMillan | 13 Hours Ago

The Bucs are heavy home favorites to the Panthers in NFL Week 17 action. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers path to the NFL Playoffs is no longer in their own hands. Now, they need to root for the Falcons to lose one of their final two games while winning both their final two games themselves.

A step in the right direction will be to beat the Carolina Panthers in the early afternoon of Week 17. If they lose, their hopes of making the playoffs will be all but dashed.

Let's dive into the odds and my best bet for this pivotal NFC South showdown.

Panthers vs. Buccaneers Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

• Panthers +8 (-112)
• Buccaneers -8 (-108)

Moneyline

• Panthers +320
• Buccaneers -410

Total

• 49.5 (Over -108/Under -112)

Panthers vs. Buccaneers How to Watch

• Date: Sunday, December 29
• Time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: Raymond James Stadium
• How to Watch (TV): CBS
• Panthers record: 4-11
• Buccaneers record: 8-7

Panthers vs. Buccaneers Betting Trends

• Panthers are 6-1 TS in their last seven games
• The OVER is 4-1 in the Panthers' last five games
• Buccaneers are 8-4 ATS in their last 12 games against Panthers
• Panthers have lost five straight games in Tampa Bay
• Buccaneers are 5-2 TS in their last seven games
• The OVER is 9-3 in the Bucs' last 12 games
• The UNDER IS 10-5 in the Buccaneers' last 15 home games

Panthers vs. Buccaneers Injury Reports

Panthers Injury Report

• Cade Mays, G - Questionable
• Xavier Legette, WR - Questionable
• Trevin Wallace, LB - IR
• Claudin Cherlus, LB - IR
• Jonathon Brooks, RB - IR

Buccaneers Injury Report

• Jordan Whitehead, S - IR-R
• Antoine Winfield Jr., S - Questionable
• Cade Otton, TE - Questionable
• K.J. Britt, LB - Questionable
• Sterling Shepard, WR - Questionable

Panthers vs. Buccaneers Key Players to Watch

Carolina Panthers

Chuba Hubbard: The Panthers can thank their run game for their recent success. Chuba Hubbard has been on fire of late, reaching 1,195 yards on the ground this season and averaging 4.8 yards per carry. He has a tough test ahead of him on Sunday but if he can continue to move the chains, the Panthers are going to be in this game until the end.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bucky Irving: This game is going to be all about the running backs so keep an eye on Buccaneers rookie, Bucky Irving, who continues to impress on a weekly basis. His 5.5 yards per carry is amongst the best in the NFL and Tampa Bay would be smart to feed him the ball against one of the worst run defenses in the league on Sunday.

Panthers vs. Buccaneers Prediction and Pick

In this week's edition of the "Road to 272 Bets," I broke down why I'm laying the points with the Buccaneers in a must-win game:

The Panthers have been impressive of late, but despite taking the Bucs to overtime a few weeks back, I can't trust them in this spot. This matchup is all about the run game. The Panthers' recent success has largely been due to a stout rushing attack. 45.32% of their offensive yards gained over their last three games have been from their running game. Now, they have a Bucs defense that has allowed just 2.8 yards per carry over their last three games while ranking second in opponent rush EPA and third in opponent rush success rate since Week 10.

The opposite is true on the other side of the football. The Bucs' rush attack has been one of the best in the NFL behind Bucky Irving and now they face a Panthers defense that ranks dead last in opponent rush EPA and opponent rush success rate since Week 10.

In what's likely a must-win game for Tampa Bay, I'll lay the points on them on their home field.

Pick: Buccaneers -8 (-108)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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