Three reasons the Panthers will beat the Bucs. Three reasons they won't.

[hepcat]

THREE REASONS THE PANTHERS BEAT THE BUCS ON SUNDAY

#1) POWER RUN GAME. The Panthers rushing offense has exploded since Steve Wilks took over as head coach. In the last 3 games alone the Panthers are averaging 188 yards per game on the ground. The Bucs rush defense is thoroughly average, giving up ~120 rushing YPG this season. DT Vita Vea, a mammoth human being who is a big time rush stuffer, has missed time recently and is questionable to play on Sunday. If he misses another game (although I expect the Bucs to take a literal "all hands on deck" approach for the game), the Panthers running game will get a big boost. The offensive line has been playing well for the most part, opening HUGE holes for all three Panthers running backs. If the Panthers can get out to an early lead like they have against the Seahawks and Lions in recent wins, the Panthers will control the game and this greatly increases their chances for a win.

#2) SAM DARNOLD IS NOT BAD ANYMORE. Darnold has looked like a serviceable NFL QB lately, thriving in a ball control run-first offense. If Darnold can continue to protect the ball, make critical third down throws, and occasionally sling a deep pass to keep the defense honest, the Panthers offense has looked dangerous. If the Panthers want a chance to win, Darnold will have to hit some big deep throws to keep the defense from stacking the box. We've seen him do this in the wins against the Broncos, Seahawks, and Lions, and he even played well against the Steelers despite the run game getting shut down. The Bucs have a banged up roster and Darnold should be able to capitalize on some favorable matchups for his WRs. Any way the Panthers win includes Darnold making some big plays. 

#3) THE PENDULUM SWINGS. As Ron Rivera used to always say, the Panthers lost a game because of "Missed Opportunities". And the team has been missing a lot of opportunities lately. The Panthers have endured a brutal 5 season stretch of losing records, with 2 head coaches fired behind a slew of reject QBs from across the NFL. It takes a whole lot of bad luck to have the stretch the Panthers have had the last 5 years. Missed game winning/game tying kicks galore, 4th quarter leads squandered, comebacks thwarted at the last moment, it's been one thing after another. Eventually, the luck pendulum has to swing back the other way. I saw this pendulum swing the Panthers way against the Lions, when early in the 2nd quarter, the Lions were driving in the red zone, had the Panthers defense totally on their heels and about to score a TD, when they inexplicably fumbled the ball and the Panthers never looked back. Beating the Bucs twice in one season would cement that pendulum starting to swing back in favor of the Panthers. 

 

THREE REASONS THE PANTHERS LOSE TO THE BUCS ON SUNDAY

#1) TOM BRADY. Brady is the ultimate X Factor in any game he plays in. He's the best comeback QB in NFL history and he is still showing it at the ripe old age of (checks birthday) 45 years old! It's insane he's still in the NFL. Brady has lead a 4th Q or OT comebacks in the Bucs last two wins against the Cardinals and Saints. Going back to the Panthers/Bucs game in Week 7, Brady didn't play poorly. Mike Evans dropped a wide-open TD on the opening drive of the game that seemed to set off a string of calamitous failures for the Bucs. Brady converted several crucial 3rd and 4th downs in that game, but overall they were just off that day, and the Panthers capitalized. I'm not sure if the Panthers get that lucky again. If the game on Sunday is close, I fully expect Brady to do what it takes to get the Bucs the win at the end. 

#2) BUCS DEFENSE SHOWS UP. The Bucs defense has been much maligned this season. They are dealing with a slew of injuries and haven't been as dominant as the last two seasons. The Bucs defense is going to have to show up and slow down a potent Panthers running game to have any chance of winning this one. I'm sure they are studying the Steelers game to see what they did to shut down the Panthers running game. If the Bucs shut down the run and force the game into Darnold's hands, it could get ugly for the Panthers. Although Darnold has looked much better under McAdoo and with a much improved offensive line, he's still Sam Darnold. He's long overdue to have the derpiest, dumbest turnover you've ever seen. I wouldn't be surprised if we see Darnold revert to the QB he's always been on Sunday.

#3) THE PANTHERS ARE CURSED. As I mentioned in the reasons the Panthers will win on Sunday, Eventually that proverbial luck pendulum has to swing back the other way, right? Wrong.

I don't know what it is, but I think we can all agree that at certain times in team history, the Panthers just appear to be cursed. They are the only team in the NFL to not have back to back winning seasons, which is an insane anomaly for a team that is almost 30 years old. When the games start to matter, the ball just doesn't seem to bounce their way. The calls from the officials seem to favor the opponent, the just team forgets how to win when the games. Every once in awhile, the team catches lightning in a bottle and run a string of good luck to a winning season or Super Bowl appearance. But that luck always seems to run out at a certain point, usually before a championship can be won.

The Panthers have an improbable opportunity to make the playoffs if they win their final two games, and if my 20+ years of being a Panthers fan tells me anything, this Bucs game is the type of game the Panthers will most certainly lose in the most excruciating fashion ever imagined by any football fan across the globe. Imagine a game the Panthers dominate for 3.5 quarters until Tom Brady decides f*ck this, I want to win. And executes the most surgical comeback win that drives a knife into Panthers fans hearts forever. This is the way of the Panther. This is what we know and understand. 

[falconlynx]

Great read. Thanks for the post! 

[TheWiz]

Good read. I'll reserve my opinion of whether or not Sam Darnold is bad or not for another day. But he's certainly not the answer. The problem is that he wasn't being utilized in a way that best suits his skillset. He's a mobile QB, who does well when he doesn't throw the ball over 25 times a game. If our run game is not ELITe, I have zero faith in Sam Darnold to make the throws we need. 

BUT, if he buys into how the coaching staff wants to use him, (Which happens to be a very similar way that we used Cam), we can win games.

Edited December 28, 2022 by TheWiz

[4Corners]

In the past 5 years when have the Panthers won a meaningful, must win game? 34-17 Bucs 

[Brooklyn 3.0]

You typed way too much, man. All you needed to type is: Tom Brady.

He'll either beat us, or he'll play poorly. At least you said he was the x factor though.

[Daeavorn]

Without Djax and now Horn, I have a hard time seeing us win this game if we can't control the clock and keep brady off of the field.

[Donald LaFell]

The ultimate cursed move is beating the Bucs but losing to the saints. 

[TLGPanthersFan]

Bucs win they win the division and a win against the Saints is meaningless. 

[PghPanther]

3 reasons why they won't?

1) NFL knows Panthers have a weak TV ratings for playoffs........

2) Brady and Officials.......

3) See #1 and #2 above and do the math............

                             

[Seltzer]

Good post OP.  Really enjoyed it

[glenwo2]

So basically :

 

Three reasons the Panthers will beat the Bucs :

1.) Our Defense doesn't suck....as much

2.) Our Running game comes to dominate

3.) Sam continues to protect the football

 

Three reasons the Panthers will lose :

1.) Our Defense does suck

2.) Our Running game takes a vacation

3.) Sam turns into Sam of Last season Post-CMC injury

 

 

[weyco2000]

2 hours ago, 4Corners said:

In the past 5 years when have the Panthers won a meaningful, must win game? 34-17 Bucs 

Last week