Panthers vs. Buccaneers Point Spread: NFL Week 18 Odds, Prediction
The Bucs are -3 with a total of 44.5 on the NFL odds.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Saturday’s Panthers-Bucs game looked like it would be a true winner-take-all game for the NFC South title entering the Rams-Falcons Monday night game to conclude Week 17. But Atlanta pulled out the upset, which altered this game a bit. The winner likely will be South champion and the No. 4 seed in the NFC playoffs, hosting a game on Wild-Card Weekend.
Tampa Bay seeks a fifth straight division crown, which would be the longest run by any NFC South team since 2002 realignment. And the Bucs would become only the fifth division champion with a losing record all-time and the only team to do it multiple times as they won the South in 2022 with an 8-9 mark. Their season is 100 per cent finished with a loss.
Atlanta’s upset hugely benefited Carolina because now the Panthers even with a loss would claim the South via three-team tiebreaker as long as the Falcons beat the visiting Saints on Sunday. And that absolutely might happen with the Falcons at -3 – although New Orleans is surging. The Panthers haven’t made the post-season since 2017. They win the South with a victory.
These clubs met two weeks ago in Charlotte and the Panthers won, 23-20, in a back-and-forth affair. Bryce Young had two TD passes. It looked as if the Bucs were driving for at least the tying field goal late, but rookie safety Lathan Ransom intercepted Baker Mayfield with 42 seconds left. Tampa Bay is still 8-2 SU (6-4 ATS) in the past 10. The over-under is 6-4.
Carolina Panthers
Carolina would have won the NFC South by beating visiting Seattle on Sunday in a possible NFC playoff preview, but the Panthers were largely dominated in a 27-10 defeat. The Seahawks have one of the league’s top defences, and that was on display as the Cats were just 1-for-10 on third down and Bryce Young threw for just 54 yards, a career low in a start. The former No. 1 overall pick is still too wildly inconsistent. Stellar young wideout and Offensive Rookie of the Year favourite Tetairoa McMillan was iffy with an illness. He played but didn’t look 100 per cent. Tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders suffered a broken ankle, so his season is obviously finished. Carolina’s 2.3 pass yards per attempt was the lowest number by any club this season. The Panthers have now gone 10 straight games alternating wins and losses, tied for the fourth-longest streak of all-time. The over is 5-0 in their past five trips to Tampa.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs look simply broken having lost four straight and seven of eight (0-8 ATS). It’s really pretty simple for them as when Baker Mayfield throws a pick, they have lost every single game this year. When he doesn’t they are 7-1. Mayfield was an early MVP candidate but that’s long gone. He had two picks in Sunday’s 20-17 upset loss in Miami. When the Bucs were 6-2, their season turnover margin was plus-2. In this 1-7 run, they are at minus-2. Special teams also has been an issue with Chase McLaughlin’s 55-yard field goal blocked Sunday before halftime. Wideout Mike Evans caught three passes for 31 yards, pushing his career receiving yardage total to 13,018. The Hall of Famer is just the 22nd player in league history to top 13,000 career receiving yards. The Buccaneers have played eight games this season decided by three or fewer points; they won the first five before dropping the past three. Those eight such games overall are the most in a single season in franchise history. The Bucs are 1-8 ATS in their past nine at home.
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