Sunday’s division battle has high stakes. The 7-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers will clinch the NFC South with a victory and conversely, the 6-9 Carolina Panthers are eliminated from playoff contention with a loss. The Week 17 showdown will commence at 1:00 p.m. ET on New Year’s Day. Coming off a late-game stunner against the Cardinals in Week 16 during overtime, the Buccaneers will look to stack wins together for a stranglehold on the NFC South. Tampa Bay has yet to play a full, complementary game in 2022 and will hope to do so against the surging Panthers. Carolina has won three of its previous four games, including a beatdown of the Lions last Sunday. With a dual backfield of Chuba Hubbard and D’Onta Foreman, the Panthers’ accumulated the most ground yards in franchise history. The Bucs will have to match the Panthers’ physicality on Jan. 1. Standing between the Panthers and their first postseason berth in five years is Tom Brady and the Bucs.
The Panthers are a different team than when the Bucs faced them in Week Seven, where Tampa Bay gave up 173 rushing yards in a 21-3 loss in Charlotte. Despite a tumultuous season and a record below .500 – like the rest of the NFC South – the Panthers have reinstated themselves. Carolina got off to a 2-7 start, culminating in the firing of Matt Rhule after Week Five. Steve Wilks took over as Interim Head Coach and following Week Six, the Panthers traded receiver Robbie Anderson after a sideline tantrum and Christian McCaffrey. During the November frenzy, quarterback P.J. Walker was injured, Carolina released Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold made his return to action. Opening-day starter Baker Mayfield is now with the Rams and do-it-all-phenom, McCaffrey, is the 49ers’ newest Swiss Army Knife. Under center in Carolina, Darnold has complemented a dangerous ground attack with a 61.4% completion rate, a four-to-zero touchdown-interception ratio and a 104.3 passer rating.
The Panthers’ offense is predicated on running the football. When they are able to do so efficiently, the team is nearly impenetrable. There is a direct correlation between the Panthers’ rushing total and the outcome over the last seven games: at Bengals, 64 rushing yards (loss), vs. Falcons, 232 rushing yards (win), at Ravens, 36 rushing yards (loss), vs. Broncos, 185 rushing yards (win), at Seahawks, 223 rushing yards (win), vs. Steelers, 21 rushing yards (loss) and vs. Lions, 320 rushing yards (win). Against Detroit, the Panthers put up 240 yards on the…
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