Keys To Cannon Fire: How The Bucs Can Beat The Panthers in Week 13

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a clear path to victory over the Carolina Panthers as long as they follow these keys to cannon fire.

Aug 23, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Graham Barton (62) hikes the ball to Tampa Bay Buccaneer quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) against the Miami Dolphins during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are trying to right the ship and steer a course to the playoffs. To do so they will need to continue stacking wins.

After a blowout over the Giants last weekend, the Bucs face a familiar foe in the Carolina Panthers. Former Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales leads the way as the Panthers' new head coach and is sure to have a trick or two up his sleeve as he tries to put one over on his former club. On paper, the Bucs are the superior team and should win this game with ease, but Carolina has been playing good ball as of late and played the Buccaneers tough in both games last season.

This has all the makings of a physical grind-it-out type of game (as most divisional matchups are) but the Bucs have a clear path to victory if they follow these keys to cannon fire.

Win In The Trenches

This has all the makings of a game won or lost in the trenches. The Panthers' offense moves through the running back Chuba Hubbard. If the Bucs defense can slow that attack down, the Panthers have little elsewhere to attack them from. However, it won't be easy, even with Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey as red hot as they are now. The Panthers boast a powerful interior led by guards Damien Frasier and Robert Hunt and kept Chris Jones relatively quiet last weekend. Canales is going to want to run early and often shutting down the attack is key.

The Bucs have a clear advantage on the offensive side of the ball with an offensive line that has been dominating the competition. They just held the NFL's second-best pass rush to just six pressures and zero sacks and have been getting a tremendous push in the run game. The Panthers, without Derek Brown, have surrendered over 160 yards per game on the ground to running backs (worst in the NFL) and have just 17 sacks on the season (second least in the NFL).

If the Bucs can keep the Panthers' rushing attack in check and get theirs going early, it could be over quickly for Carolina. In the passing game, the Bucs just need to keep doing what they have been on both sides of the ball, protect Baker Mayfield and get after the quarterback.

Win The Turnover Battle

The Bucs have struggled to get turnovers this season. They are -2 in the turnover ratio with 11 takeaways to 13 turnovers and have just five interceptions, with most of their takeaways coming on fumble recoveries. The defense needs to take advantage of Bryce Young's inconsistencies at quarterback. He has six interceptions and a fumble on the season this year. The Bucs need to capitalize on those mistakes.

Mayfield has been playing clean football over the past few games outside of a wonky fumble on a handoff exchange and needs to continue to protect the football. He can't start taking unnecessary risks and shouldn't have to against a struggling Panthers defense. The biggest thing is not forcing the ball to Mike Evans in an attempt to help him achieve his 1,000-yard streak. Mayfield needs to be smart with the ball, take what the defense is giving him and take his shots when they are there and not try and force them.

Someone Needs To Step Up On The Edge

The Bucs edge rushers have underwhelmed this season. In fact, just 7.5 of the team's 32 total sacks have come from their edge rushers. Anthony Nelson leads the way with three for the Buccaneers defense and with Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, out for this game with an ankle injury, will be asked to step into a bigger role. Yaya Diaby has been piling up the pressures with 26, but they haven't materialized into sacks as he has just two on the year.

It's time for the Bucs' second-round pick Chris Braswell to step up and prove to the team why they deemed him worthy of such a high draft pick. He'll get that opportunity this weekend, but he needs to translate his skill to the field as he has just half a sack this season. Jose Ramirez will likely be active for this game as well and will get the opportunity to rush the passer. He had three sacks in one game in the preseason but has struggled to crack the game-day active list.

With the Bucs' interior getting hot and pushing the pocket, someone needs to step on the outside and start racking up the sacks, especially against a quarterback like Bryce Young, who will try to move the pocket, tuck it and run.

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