Buccaneers vs Panthers NFL Week 2 Odds & Game Preview

Both Tampa Bay and Carolina endured disappointing home losses in their season openers. San Francisco walloped the Buccaneers 31-17, and the Los Angeles Rams edged Carolina, 30-27. The Panthers looked more impressive than Tampa Bay did in their opener, but they still ended up falling short. Jameis Winston showed all of the reasons why the team has gotten frustrated with him, throwing three interceptions — and that number could have been twice as high if the 49er defense had not dropped a few other passes. Which NFC South team will emerge from Week 2 with a win? Don’t miss our NFL betting preview of this divisional matchup.

Buccaneers vs Panthers NFL Week 2 Odds & Game Preview

Check out how to watch and listen to our matchup against Carolina on Thursday night. 📰: https://t.co/UpZF1iEaME pic.twitter.com/i9bdQdTPc3

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) September 10, 2019

When: Thursday, September 12, 2019, 8:20pm ET Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC TV: FOX / NFL Network Radio: Westwood One Live Stream: NFL Game Pass NFL Odds: Carolina -6.5 / O/U 50 

Why should you bet on the Buccaneers?

It’s hard to argue for a Buccaneers win here. Tampa Bay has dropped seven straight on the road, and Winston’s three picks in the opener were not really an outlier — he has 13 interceptions in his last five games, dating back to last season. Ronald Jones did a decent job carrying the ball, running 13 times for 75 yards. However, the defense is also a problem, as they allowed 31 points to a San Francisco offense that is not considered to be elite. Jordan Whitehead had a big day with eight tackles, but as a unit, the Buccaneer defense did not do the job. With that said, against the spread, Tampa Bay has played well on the road, covering three times in their last five games away from home, and five times in their last eight games overall. The road team in this rivalry has covered seven times in their last 10 meetings, and the underdog has covered five times in their last six meetings. So if you like the Buccaneers here, you see them staying close to their NFC South rivals, doing a better job of ball security and managing their defensive assignments more effectively.

Why should you put your money on the Panthers?

There are also some arguments against the Panthers as well. Bank of America Stadium has not been a particularly friendly place for them to play, as they have dropped four straight at home. Cam Newton has at least two touchdown passes in 10 of his last 12 games, but he did not throw any touchdown passes in the opener. Christian McCaffrey had a stellar game for Carolina in the opener, running for 128 yards and two scores and also leading all receivers with yards. Like Tampa Bay, Carolina has issues on defense, permitting 30 points on a day when the Rams’ Jared Goff was not playing all that well. The Panthers have won seven of the last 10 meetings with Tampa Bay — but that has not translated to covering, as (like we mentioned above) the road team has covered in seven of their last 10 meetings. Carolina has covered just twice in their last seven games against NFC opposition and just twice in their last nine games overall. If you like the Panthers here, you understand that they did a better job in their opener than Tampa Bay did, and you think the Buccaneers will continue to struggle in Week 2.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

The problem with handicapping this game is that we are really looking at two inconsistent quarterbacks in Jameis Winston and Cam Newton. Both have cannons for arms, and both are also dangerous with their feet. However, both have a way of making head-scratching decisions at just the wrong time for their teams. Carolina has failed to cover in five of their last eight games in which they were favored to win by at least three points. Thursday night games tend to feature less offense, which means that this spread is too large. I predict a final score of Carolina 17, Tampa Bay 13.