Needing every win they can get to keep up with Atlanta and New Orleans in the AFC South, the Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers meet in a key rivalry game Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.
And this game shapes up as a battle between two of the worst Week 1 teams of the past decade. Carolina is 2-7 ATS and Tampa is 3-8 ATS.
Coming off of one of the best rookie campaigns for a quarterback ever, all eyes are on Cam Newton. Will he hit a sophomore slump or take his game to the next level? His Panthers are a 2.5-point road favorite at Sportsbook.
Carolina crushed Tampa Bay in both of their meetings last season, going 2-0 straight up and ATS and winning the two games by a combined score of 86-35.
Of note, the OVER is 7-1 the past 8 meetings between these teams in Tampa Bay. (Best OVER line, check out Sportsbook)
View Carolina vs Tampa Bay Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
Tampa Bay opened as 3-point underdogs at Sportsbook, while the NFL total was set at 46.5 at Sportsbook for over under betting.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
It's a betting matchup between the No. 31-rated Buccaneers and the No. 15-ranked Panthers, according to the NFL Power Rankings here at Odds Shark. Predictive-scoring models run on this game indicate a potential 24-12 result in favor of the Panthers.
Carolina Panthers Trends:
When playing in September are 2-8
When playing on grass are 5-5
After being outgained are 3-7
When playing within the division are 2-8
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Trends:
When playing in September are 5-5
When playing on grass are 1-9
After being outgained are 1-9
When playing within the division are 4-6
A few Panthers at Buccaneers trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Carolina's last 8 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Carolina's last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Carolina's last 5 games on the road
Carolina is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Tampa Bay's last 8 games when playing at home against Carolina
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 7 games when playing Carolina
Tampa Bay is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Carolina
Next up:
Carolina home to New Orleans, Sunday, September 16
Tampa Bay at NY Giants, Sunday, September 16
