Buccaneers Preparing for 'Heck Of A' Matchup vs. Panthers

The Buccaneers and Panthers know each other well, even more-so now that Dave Canales will be the head coach opposite Todd Bowles this weekend.

Nov 3, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales hugs quarterback Bryce Young (9) after getting the win against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can secure a road victory over the Carolina Panthers this weekend and the Los Angeles Chargers can defeat the Atlanta Falcons, then things are going to get very interesting in the NFC South Division.

You could say the Buccaneers and Falcons race to the division title would be a 'heck of a' thing to watch even.

Well, in order to do that, Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles is going to match wits with a head coach who only spent one year with him but should have learned a lot about how he operates and thinks.

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“(Panthers head coach) Dave (Canales) is a heck of a guy, he’s a heck of a friend, he’s a heck of a coach," Bowles said of his former offensive coordinator turned rival head coach. "You can see how his influence has taken over in Carolina. He’s building a team. I’m happy for him. He’s progressed very well. They’ve got a few coaches over there that I’m happy about, but on Sunday, he’s going to do his best to beat me and I’m going to do my best to beat him.”

Canales was the coach that didn't have a lot of suitors this offseason, and Carolina was the franchise that didn't have a lot of people willing to take its head coaching job. So when coach and team joined forces there wasn't a lot of expectation.

With just three wins this season, some would say those low expectations have been met, but with wins over the New York Giants and New Orleans Saints and a narrow three-point loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, some would say the team might be overachieving in the back half of 2024.

On top of it, quarterback Bryce Young has look much improved after spending some time on the bench letting the lessons of his early career sink in.

“They’ve been playing solid defense and Bryce [Young] has been taking care of the football. He’s been playing great," Bowles said when asked about how the Panthers have grown in the past month or so. "He can make things happen and they have a heck of a running back. Their running game has really picked up.”

The Bucs' playoff hopes and division title hopes are alive and well entering the post-Thanksgiving weekend, and that fact alone is a 'heck of a' thing.

Getting a win in the division, and its second since the bye, would not only keep Tampa Bay relevant, but put it right back in the middle of both Wild Card and NFC South conversations.

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