Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers look to secure their first win of the season when they host Teddy Bridgewater and the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Both teams are looking for their first victories of the season after Tampa Bay lost 34-23 on the road against the Saints last week and the Panthers suffered a 34-30 setback against the Raiders. Carolina enters Sunday's NFC South battle having won 10 of its last 14 games against Tampa Bay.
Kickoff for Panthers vs. Buccaneers is set for 1 p.m. ET. Tampa Bay is a 8.5-point favorite according to the latest Buccaneers vs. Panthers odds at William Hill, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is set at 47. Before making any Panthers vs. Buccaneers picks of your own, you'll want to see the NFL predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up over $7,400 for $100 players on its top-rated NFL picks since its inception five years ago. It went a perfect 4-0 on top-rated NFL picks in Week 1, including calling easy covers by the Ravens and Bills. The model enters Week 2 on an incredible 100-65 roll on top-rated NFL picks that dates back to the 2017 season.
The model ranked in the Top 10 on NFLPickWatch in three of the past four years on straight-up NFL picks and beat more than 95 percent of CBS Sports office pool players three times during that span. Anyone who has followed it is way up.
Now, the model has set its sights on Bucs vs. Panthers. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NFL betting lines for Panthers vs. Bucs:
- Buccaneers vs. Panthers spread: Buccaneers -8.5
- Buccaneers vs. Panthers over-under: 47 points
- Buccaneers vs. Panthers money line: Tampa Bay -370, Carolina +305
Why the Panthers can cover
Running back Christian McCaffrey is a one-man wrecking crew for the Carolina Panthers. McCaffrey finished last season with over 2,300 all-purpose yards and 19 total touchdowns. The former Stanford standout picked up right where he left off, recording 135 total yards and two touchdowns against the Raiders in Week 1. McCaffrey is expected to be the main focal point of Carolina's offense on Sunday against a Tampa Bay defense that gave up two touchdowns to Saints RB Alvin Kamara last week. In Carolina's 37-26 victory over the Bucs last October, McCaffrey recorded a receiving and rushing touchdown.
In addition, the Panthers have fared well against the Buccaneers over the years, especially on the road. In fact, Carolina is 5-1 against the spread in its last six games on the road against Tampa Bay.
Why the Buccaneers can cover
Brady passed for 239 yards and two touchdowns and had a rushing score in his first game as a Buccaneer, a 34-23 loss at New Orleans. Mike Evans had nine catches for 96 yards in the last meeting with Carolina. Chris Godwin was in the concussion protocol this week and has officially been ruled out for Tampa Bay. Scott Miller set career-highs with five receptions and 73 receiving yards in Week 1. Miller and Justin Watson could play larger roles in the Tampa Bay passing game this week if Godwin is out.
Ronald Jones had a rush TD in the last meeting with Tampa Bay. He is aiming for his third game in a row at home with 100-plus scrimmage yards. Shaquil Barrett had three sacks in two games vs. Carolina in 2019. Jason Pierre-Paul has six sacks in his past three games.
How to make Buccaneers vs. Panthers picks
SportsLine's model has simulated Buccaneers vs. Panthers 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning over on the total, and it also has generated a pick that hits in over 50 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Panthers vs. Buccaneers? And which side of the spread hits in over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Panthers vs. Buccaneers spread to jump on Sunday, all from the model that enters Week 2 of the NFL season on an incredible 100-65 roll.
