Panthers vs. Bucs Week 2 Prediction
Tom Brady will get another crack at a NFC South foe and another shot to pick up his first win as a member of the Bucs when they host the Panthers at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday. At 8.5, is the spread too big?
Game Snapshot
263 Carolina Panthers (+8.5) at 264 Tampa Bay Bucs (-8.5); o/u 47
1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, September 20, 2020
NFL Week 2
Carolina Panthers DFS Spin
Teddy Bridgewater completed 22-of-34 passes for 270 yards and a touchdown in the Panthers’ Week 1 loss to the Raiders. Bridgewater was solid yet unspectacular in his Panthers debut, slicing through the middle of the Raiders’ defense on short to intermediate throws. He did hit Robby Anderson on 75-yard score, which featured Anderson breaking rookie CB Damon Arnette’s ankles and running free for another 50 yards on his own. The Panthers have the playmakers to turn shorter passes into longer gains and should continue to be in high scoring games thanks to their awful defense. Consider Bridgewater a QB2 against the Bucs in Week 2.
Tampa Bay Bucs DFS Spin
Tom Brady completed 23-of-36 passes for 239 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in the Bucs’ 34-23 loss to the Saints in Week 1. Brady was sacked three times and hurried throughout the game, throwing an ugly pick-six in the first half. Dare we say Brady looked old in his Bucs debut, taking a couple cringe-worthy hits. Head coach Bruce Arians said one of Brady’s picks was the result of a miscommunication with Mike Evans. His fantasy output wasn’t atrocious thanks to a quarter and a half of garbage time. Brady should be a strong start in Week 2 when Tampa gets the Panthers and their burnable secondary.
Panthers at Bucs Betting Prediction
The Panthers have been a good bet in this series, covering in six of their last seven trips to Tampa. The underdog has also cashed in six of the previous eight meetings between these two teams while the road side has covered in nine of the last 12 meetings. Brady won’t have the services of Chris Godwin (concussion) today and with Mike Evans also still a little banged-up, the Bucs might not have as much offensive success as some believe. Granted, the Panthers looked dreadful defensively last week but Bridgewater and Christian McCaffrey also kept them in their eventual loss to the Raiders in Week 1. This Carolina team will be more competitive week-to-week than people think.
NFL WEEK 2 BETTING PREDICTION: CAROLINA PANTHERS +8.5