Inside the Numbers: Panthers at Buccaneers Game Preview

Breaking down this week's matchup between Carolina and Tampa Bay.

It's hard to believe but here we are, the final week of the regular season. The Carolina Panthers will be playing their last game of the season after failing to make the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season. Despite not being able to clinch a spot in the postseason, this Panthers team wants to finish off the season on a high note by defeating the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and ride into the 2022 season on a high note. 

When the Panthers have the ball

Panthers offense	Stats	Buccaneers defense
	Total Yards Per Game/Allowed
	Rushing Yards Per Game/Allowed
	Rushing Yards Per Attempt/Allowed
	Passing Yards Per Game Allowed
	Sacks Allowed/Sacks
	Third Down Efficiency
	Points Per Game/Allowed

Sam Darnold will get the start once again and rightfully so. Look, I understand wanting Cam Newton to play in what is in all likelihood his final game as a Carolina Panther, but the organization needs as much tape as possible on Darnold to evaluate in the offseason. Newton, 32, is not the future of this team and with an $18 million price tag on Darnold for 2022, Carolina has to figure out what they want to do with him.

Darnold got off to a solid start last week against New Orleans completing his first nine passes of the game, but finished 17/26 for 132 yards and one pick. He was also sacked seven times on the day as the offensive line continues to have struggles. 

Speaking of the offensive line, Brady Christensen is in line to make his third straight start at left tackle as Cameron Erving (calf) is done for the year and was placed on injured reserve earlier in the week. 

Tampa Bay's front seven is as every bit of talented as New Orleans, but the secondary has its question marks. If Christensen and his fellow linemen can give Darnold some protection on Sunday, there should be more opportunities to take shots down the field - something this team hasn't been able to do for what seems like over a month now. 

When the Buccaneers have the ball

Buccaneers offense	Stats	Panthers defense
	Total Yards Per Game/Allowed
	Rushing Yards Per Game/Allowed
	Rushing Yards Per Attempt/Allowed
	Passing Yards Per Game/Allowed
	Sacks Allowed/Sacks
	Third Down Efficiency
	Points Per Game/Allowed

Carolina's defense did all they could last week to stay within reach and honestly, they played more than good enough to win the game. The offense failed them time and time again, but that's to no one's surprise. 

Two weeks ago when these two teams met, the score was 19-6 in favor of the Buccaneers at the half. Things didn't get any better for the Carolina offense as they were shutout in the second half. If you ask defensive coordinator Phil Snow, he'll tell you that his defense needs to create more turnovers and he's not wrong. As good as Carolina's defense has been this season, they rank 28th in the league with just 16 takeaways on the year. When you have a struggling offense like the Panthers do, you need to find ways to get the ball back into your hands and this unit hasn't been able to do that to this point. 

According to Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians, the Bucs do not plan on resting their starters as playoff seeding is still up for grabs. Depending on how things play out, the Bucs could end up as the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs or could slide down all the way to the No. 4 seed. If they get a comfortable lead in the second half, we may see some wholesale substitutions but don't expect that to happen if it's still a one score game in the fourth quarter. 

Carolina and Tampa Bay are scheduled to kick off at 4:25 p.m. EST on CBS.

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