Mike Evans

A Look Ahead: Bucs

Game Breakdowns, Prime Cuts with Norris


Panthers

VS

Buccaneers

Game Time: 9:30 AM

Welcome to the Christian McCaffrey Show. He’s the best running back in the league right now, if not the best overall player. With Allen in at quarterback, the offense runs through McCaffrey. What a performance by CMC, as he had 175 yards rushing, 61 yards receiving and 3 total touchdowns. Kyle Allen struggled with pocket presence and ball security once again, but he helped the team just enough to win. Allen is doing his job as a back up, but it will be a nice change when Newton comes back. Either way, both Allen and Newton need the fans’ support. Now, it’s off to London! Here is a look ahead to the Bucs:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Head Coach

Bruce Arians

Offensive Coordinator 

Byron Leftwich

Defensive Coordinator 

Todd Bowles

Key Acquisitions 

DT Ndamukong Suh

LB Shaq Barrett

S Darian Stewart

Key Losses

DT Gerald McCoy

WR DeSean Jackson

DE Vinny Curry

Key Draft Picks

LB Devin White

Tampa comes to London with a record of 2-3, even though they’ve scored more points than anyone in the division. The Bucs have been up and down all year, as has Jameis Winston. One thing that has remained consistent for the Bucs is their run defense. Tampa Bay has only allowed 349 yards on the ground in five games, which is good enough for third in the league. The Bucs are capable of beating the Panthers, which is evident due to this happening in week two. One difference is, an injured Cam Newton was playing quarterback for Carolina. Linebacker, Shaq Barrett, is having a superb season so far, as he has 9 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 1 interception so far.

Carolina Panthers

Head Coach

Ron Rivera

Offensive Coordinator

Norv Turner

Defensive Coordinator

Eric Washington

Key Acquisitions

C Matt Paradis

LB Bruce Irvin

CB Javien Elliott

WR Chris Hogan

DT Gerald McCoy

S Tre Boston

Key Losses

WR Chris Hogan (IR with designation to return)

DL Kawann Short (IR)

QB Cam Newton (Foot injury)

LB Thomas Davis

C Ryan Kalil

DE Julius Peppers

Key Draft Picks

DE Brian Burns

OT Greg Little

OT Dennis Daley

2019 Team Stats

Panthers

Buccaneers
14th– 370.0 yds/gm
Total Offense
17th– 359.8 yds/gm
23rd– 226.4 yds/gm
Pass Offense
12th– 250.4 yds/gm
4th– 143.6 yds/gm
Rush Offense
19th– 109.4 yds/gm
10th– 25.8 ppg
Scoring Offense
5th– 29.4 ppg
8th– 331.4 yds/gm
Total Defense
26th– 393.4 yds/gm
4th– 197.0 yds/gm
Pass Defense
32nd– 323.6 yds/gm
24th– 134.4 yds/gm
Rush Defense
2nd– 69.8 yds/gm
11th– 21.4 ppg
Points Allowed
29th– 29.6 ppg

Things to Watch

Carolina Panthers

Kyle Allen is doing his job as a backup quarterback, as he isn’t doing anything to lose the games. His fumbling is still an issue, as he had two more last Sunday. He needs to get better pocket presence, but that comes with time. This Sunday, in jolly ole London, Kyle will likely be throwing a lot more. Tampa Bay’s pass defense is ranked dead last, and Carolina would be wise to get Allen going. The offensive line played well last week with Dennis Daley at left tackle, so hopefully they can keep Suh and Barrett at bay and protect Allen.

Christian McCaffrey is having a historic season so far, as he leads the league in all purpose yards and is on pace to smash the record set by Chris Johnson in 2009. Whether or not he can keep it up, is yet to be seen. Look for Carolina to try to get him going early, even though Tampa’s rush defense ranks second in the league, and they only allowed CMC to get 37 yards in their last meeting. Hopefully, he can break a few long runs, as he’s done several times this season, to keep the defense honest. McCaffrey will be used heavily in the passing game due to the Buc’s porous pass defense. Look for Carolina to give Reggie Bonnafon a few carries on the heels of his successful game last week.

DJ Moore is on pace to have 1,100 yards receiving this year, and looks to capitalize on the Buc’s 32nd ranked pass defense. Moore seems to be coming into his own and is showing fans why he was a first round pick. He made a nice leaping catch last week, where he went up and plucked it out of the sky with ease for a 52 yard gain. Curtis Samuel will also get plenty of looks in the Carolina offense this Sunday. He was used in the running game for a couple of plays last week, but was relatively quiet. This was due to Christian McCaffrey’s amazing day. Greg Olsen was held without a catch last week, even though he was open on several plays. He gives Allen a big target in the red zone, and he will be used this Sunday in London.

The Carolina defense had a few hiccups Sunday, as they allowed Gardner Minshew to throw for 375 yards. With Donte Jackson likely returning to the lineup, that will help tremendously in coverage. They will have a huge test again Sunday, as Mike Evans and Chris Godwin will get a lot of looks. This is a revenge game for the team and they’ll be looking to stop Chris Godwin this time around. With Tampa’s right tackle and right guard likely out with injury, Carolina should get good pressure and keep Winston on his back. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention defensive lineman, Efe Obada, who heads back home to London. Expect to see more of him this Sunday, so he can play in front of his home crowd, which should give him more motivation. #Keep£ing

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jameis Winston is having a relatively good season, as he has 1,371 yards, 11 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. That’s good enough for a 97.2 QB Rating. That’s a little misleading, considering that in the last 4 games he hasn’t had less than a 103.4. Winston has developed a rapport with wide receiver Chris Godwin, and it has translated to the field. In week two, Winston had 208 yards and a touchdown against Carolina. Carolina has a very different defense than they did in week two. Look for Winston to struggle against Carolina’s pass rush. Especially on the right side, as both his right guard and right tackle are expected to miss the game.

In the week two battle, Peyton Barber has 82 yards rushing and 1 touchdown. Barber will look to have an even more successful day against a Panthers defense that ranks 24th against the run. If Carolina doesn’t get their run defense in check, Barber could have a field day.

Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are one of the best wide receiver tandems in the league right now. Godwin is having an All Pro season, as he has 511 yards and 6 touchdowns in 5 games. He had 121 yards and a touchdown in the Thursday night debacle. Mike Evans is having a decent season, as he has 368 yards and 4 touchdowns. They’ll look to get going against Carolina Sunday, even though it’ll be tougher than it was in their first meeting.

The Buccaneer defense has been excellent against the run all year. In week two, they held Christian McCaffrey to 37 yards rushing. It’s going to be hard to do that the second time, now that CMC is in the zone. Their pass defense isn’t good, as they rank last in the NFL. They’ll look to hold McCaffrey in check and make Kyle Allen beat them with his arm. Shaq Barrett is playing out of his mind this year. Carolina will have their hands full once again Sunday, although their offensive line seems to be getting better each week, no matter who’s playing. Dennis Daley stepped in at left tackle and played well.

Keys to a Carolina Victory

• Scheme ways to get McCaffrey the ball. The offense runs through CMC and he will be needed on Sunday. Get him the ball early and often.

• Protect Kyle Allen. Sixth round pick, Dennis Daley, stepped in and played well at left tackle while Greg Little is injured. Hopefully, Allen can become a little more comfortable and learn to step into the pocket.

• Protect the ball. No matter who it is, hold that ball tight. No fumbles this week.

• Rush the passer. Carolina needs to get pressure on Winston while not letting him get out of the pocket. Winston is dangerous when scrambling.

• Contain Peyton Barber. Carolina needs to learn how to stop the run.

• Get Greg Olsen going against this porous Bucs’ defense.

Key Matchups

• Donte Jackson VS Chris Godwin

• James Bradberry VS Mike Evans

• Panthers’ Defense VS Buc’s banged up Offensive Line

• Christian McCaffrey VS Buc’s Defense

Injury Report

Both teams come into this game with key injuries, but perhaps the worst injuries are to the Buccaneers offensive line. They’re not as prepared for offensive line injuries as the Panthers are (sounds weird for Carolina to have offensive line depth). Carolina gets Donte Jackson back, and it comes at a good time. Hopefully, Shaq Thompson and Eric Reid are ready to go Sunday. All signs point to them playing.

Prediction

Coach Rivera said that he’s keeping the schedule as normal as possible for Friday and Saturday, so the players can have some continuity in their routine. This will prove to be beneficial, as the players will be well rested and ready to go. This will be a tough game for both teams, but Carolina will find success through the air. Carolina wins on the road, yet again, 27-24. Carolina goes into the bye week with a record of 4-2. #Keep£ing

 

A Look Ahead: Bucs

Game Breakdowns, Prime Cuts with Norris

Panthers

VS

Bucs

Game time: 8:20
Game time temperature: 84

Week one didn’t go as planned, but that’s in the past. Some fans have their hands poised on the panic button, but please relax. It’s week two and Carolina has a fairly favorable schedule for the next two weeks, as they play Tampa Bay in week two and Arizona in week three. Here’s a look ahead to the Buccaneers:

Tampa Bay Bucs

Head Coach

Bruce Arians

Offensive Coordinator 

Byron Leftwich

Defensive Coordinator 

Todd Bowles

Key Acquisitions 

DT Ndamukong Suh

LB Shaq Barrett

S Darian Stewart

Key Losses

WR Desean Jackson

DT Gerald McCoy

DE Vinny Curry

Key Draft Picks

LB Devin White

The Bucs didn’t have a whole lot of major turnaround this offseason, which is surprising considering they went 5-11 in 2018. On offense, they traded their deep threat, Desean Jackson, so they aren’t as explosive. The Bucs defense was near the bottom of the league last year in every category, and seems to have only gotten worse. Jameis Winston threw three interceptions in week one, and also fumbled twice. He looks to improve his play in week two against Carolina. Bucs’ running back Ronald Jones finally looked like the player they thought he’d be, as he gained 75 yards on 13 carries (5.8 AVG YPC).

Carolina Panthers

Head Coach

Ron Rivera

Offensive Coordinator

Norv Turner

Defensive Coordinator

Eric Washington

Key Acquisitions

C Matt Paradis

LB Bruce Irvin

CB Javien Elliott

WR Chris Hogan

DT Gerald McCoy

S Tre Boston

Key Losses

LB Thomas Davis

C Ryan Kalil

DE Julius Peppers

Key Draft Picks

DE Brian Burns

OT Greg Little

RB Jordan Scarlett

Although Carolina didn’t start fast and win week one, there was a lot to like about their performance. There was also a lot to work on. Cam was a little more limited in the running game than fans hoped, due to the coaches wanting to make sure his foot is healed completely. Cam’s throws looked sharp and accurate at the beginning of the game, but it got worse as it went on. He completed 80% of passes 1-10, 70% of passes 11-20, 60% of passes 21-30 and 50% on his last eight passes. This is the product of shoulder surgery and not getting a lot of reps in the preseason. However, it’s still something to watch moving forward. The Carolina defense looked promising at times, too. They will only get better. The emergence of James Bradberry and Shaq Thompson was nice to see.

2018 Team Stat Rankings

Bucs

Panthers
3rd- 6,648 yds
Total Offense
10th- 5,972 yds
1st- 5,125 yds
Passing Offense
16th- 3,836 yds
29th- 1,523 yds
Rushing Offense
4th- 2,136 yds
12th- 24.8 ppg
Scoring Offense
15th- 23.5 ppg
27th- 6,134 yds
Total Defense
15th- 5,651 yds
26th- 4,151 yds
Passing Defense
18th- 3,847 yds
24th- 1,983 yds
Rushing Defense
12th- 1,804 yds
31st- 29.0 ppg
Points Allowed
19th- 23.9 ppg

 

2019 Team Rankings

Bucs

Panthers
25th- 295 yds
Total Offense
22nd- 343 yds
26th- 174 yds
Passing Offense
22nd- 216 yds
13th- 121 yds
Rushing Offense
9th- 127 yds
24th- 17.0 ppg
Scoring Offense
16th- 27.0 ppg
6th- 256 yds
Total Defense
15th- 349 yds
3rd- 158 yds
Passing Defense
9th- 183 yds
14th- 98 yds
Rushing Defense
28th- 166 yds
26th- 31.0 ppg
Points Allowed
24th- 30.0 ppg

Against the Rams, Cam looked sharp at times, but as the game went on, his arm appeared to become more fatigued. This will get better with more reps. He should play well against Tampa. McCaffrey picked up where he left off in 2018 and had 128 rushing yards and 81 yards receiving. Carolina needs to pound the ball early and often to wear out Tampa’s defense.

Jameis Winston needs to protect the ball if he wants to pull off the upset. Winston has talent and potential, so he will be the focus for the Carolina defense. Ronald Jones and Peyton Barber will be heavily used on Thursday. Receiver, Mike Evans, had an off day in week one, he will look to improve.

Things to Watch

Carolina

In 2018, Cam had the second best completion percentage when using playaction. Carolina didn’t use it too much against the Rams, but they should use it more often. The offensive line protected Cam fairly well on Sunday, and they should only get better. Look for Cam to throw a couple of downfield passes to shut the critics up. The shorter passes were game-planned against the Rams so that Aaron Donald didn’t have time to get to him. Newton will likely run more too, since his foot injury is getting fully healed. The Bucs defense ranked 3rd against the pass, as they allowed only 158 yards through the air. Granted, they played the San Francisco 49ers. Newton should dominate, if all goes according to plan. Against LA, they only converted five of eleven on third down, so if Carolina wants to win, they’ll have to do better. In Cam’s career against Tampa, he has a quarterback rating of 92.8. He’s also scored 29 touchdowns against the Bucs, which is his lost against any opponent.

Christian McCaffrey will build on his week one performance. He will likely get 18-23 carries and will continue to be utilized in the passing game. Hopefully, Carolina will have a commanding lead, and fans get to see Jordan Scarlett in real action. The Bucs allowed 98 yards on the ground in week one, which was ranked 14th in the league. The Carolina running backs should have a pretty good day.

DJ Moore had a good day against the Rams Sunday, except for the fumble. While the fumbles are concerning, let’s not forget another dynamic wide receiver who fumbled a lot in his first two seasons. Steve Smith fumbled eighteen times in his first two seasons, as a receiver and returner. Not saying that Moore is the next Smitty, but people need to stop panicking about the fumbles. Carolina has a lot of speed at receiver, so they will look to punish Tampa’s secondary. Having Greg Olsen healthy again is a plus too. With Tampa’s lack of pass rush and iffy secondary, Carolina should flourish in the passing game.

Carolina’s defense wasn’t able to contain the ground game on Sunday, which is something that will need to be corrected this week. It will help that Carolina faces Peyton Barber and Ronald Jones. The Panthers did a sufficient job keeping Goff at bay. The Carolina defense will look to feast on Bucs’ quarterback, Jameis Winston, who threw three interceptions last week. If Carolina wants to win this game, they need to pressure Winston more than they did Goff. With Irvin out, look for Brian Burns to get even more playing time.

Tampa Bay 

Last season, the Bucs had a good offense mainly due to quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and deep threat, Desean Jackson. Winston played 11 games last season, and threw 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Winston started his 2019 campaign off bad, and will look to improve this week against Carolina. Carolina’s defense is ninth against the pass so far this season, but their pass rush was not as dominating as they had hoped. If Carolina can’t get to Winston, he will be more effective.

Ronald Jones had one of his best games last week, and will look to keep it going against Carolina. Last week, Todd Gurley had a pretty good day on the ground, as he had 14 carries for 97 yards. Bucs coach, Bruce Arians, will look to capitalize on the Panthers’ bad rush defense. Hopefully, Carolina will get better against the run this week.

Last week, Mike Evans was contained by San Francisco, and he would like to get more involved this week. Carolina corner, James Bradberry, usually shuts Evans down or limits him in every game. Last week, Chris Godwin, was Winston’s number one target. Godwin is a player to watch in this matchup, so look for Donte Jackson to cover Godwin quite a bit.

Tampa’s defense only had five total pressures against the 49ers, and will look to get to Newton more. Tampa’s secondary looked lost at times last week, but they do have some playmakers. Devin White and Lavonte David are talented, speedy linebackers who are capable of making plays against the pass and rush. It’s going to be a hard, uphill battle for this defense, and they just don’t appear up for the job.

Keys to a Carolina Victory

Run the ball early and often.

Pressure Winston.

Secure the ball.

Key Matchups

McCaffrey VS Bucs’ defensive line

Olsen/Thomas VS Bucs’ linebackers

Samuel/Moore VS Bucs’ secondary

Carolina’s pass rush VS Winston

Ronald Jones VS Carolina defense

Injury Report

Carolina

Bruce Irvin OUT (Hamstring)

Rashaan Gaulden QUESTIONABLE (Groin)

Greg Olsen QUESTIONABLE (Back)

Tampa Bay

Blaine Gabbert OUT

The Bucs come into this game relatively healthy, as they only have the backup quarterback out this week. The Panthers are still without newly signed linebacker, Bruce Irvin, as he is still dealing with a hamstring injury. Gaulden and Olsen are both questionable, but Olsen said he’s playing. With Irvin out, look for Brian Burns and Marquis Haynes to get extended work. If Olsen can’t go, Ian Thomas will get a lot of work.

Prediction

Even though Tampa beat Carolina in their last meeting, don’t expect it to happen this week. Carolina’s pass rush will get to Winston consistently and pressure him into 2-3 turnovers. The Panthers run defense will tighten up and only allow 75 total yards against the Bucs. The Carolina offense will have success and take this game at home on Thursday night football, 28-13.