For the second straight week, the NFL will invade London. The Carolina Panthers (3-2) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-3) first met in Week 2 and will take their NFC South rivalry across the pond on Sunday. The Buccaneers won the first contest, 20-14, on the road, but have lost two of their last three games, while Carolina has won three in a row since that meeting.
Panthers vs. Buccaneers
- Time: 9:30 a.m. ET
- TV Channel: FOX
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
No Cam Newton, no problem so far. The Panthers quarterback is still in a walking boot and the team doesn’t look like they want to rush his return. Kyle Allen slid into the starting role in Week 3 and in that time the team has rattled off three straight victories, including its latest, 34-27, win over Jacksonville at home. Allen completed 17 of 30 passes for 181 yards and one touchdown. Christian McCaffrey proved why he is one of the best all-around running backs in the game with 176 yards and two scores on the ground, in addition to 61 yards receiving and one touchdown. McCaffrey ranks first in the NFL with 587 yards rushing this season.
Carolina’s defense will have the task of stopping a Buccaneers offense that has been inconsistent. Two weeks ago they put up 55 points against the NFC Champion Rams but struggled against the Saints. The Panthers are fourth in the NFL in pass defense, limiting opponents to just under 200 yards per game. Luke Kuechly notched 12 tackles against the Jaguars to bring his NFL leading total to 56. Kuechly had 18 tackles when these two teams met the first time. Shaq Thompson is another physical presence in the middle of the defense, while Eric Reid who had ten tackles a week ago patrols the secondary.
The Buccaneers were riding high after a 55-40 win in Los Angeles. Bruce Arians looked like a quarterback whisperer with Winston throwing for over 375 yards in back-to-back games. Then reality hit as Tampa lost a divisional matchup, 31-24, in New Orleans with Jameis Winston completing 15 of 27 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns. A good chunk of those yards and the final touchdown came with time running out in the game. No Tampa running back had over 35 yards on the ground and only Chris Godwin had more than 30 yards receiving. Godwin, who ranks third in the NFL with 511 yards, hauled in seven passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, the Saints air attack torched the Bucs to the tune of 314 yards and four touchdowns–a career game for Teddy Bridgewater. Michael Thomas accounted for 182 of those yards and two scores, to bring his yearly total to 543 yards, the best in the NFL this season. Kevin Minter led the team with 10 tackles with Jordan Whitehead adding seven more. Shaq Barrett leads the NFL with nine sacks. If the Buccaneers can contain Christian McCaffrey, they will have an excellent chance at another victory over the Panthers.
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