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After two games on the road, the Buccaneers are heading back home. They will take on the Carolina Panthers at 4:05 p.m. ET on Sunday. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
It looks like Tampa Bay got the smaller half of the wishbone at Thanksgiving dinner. They took a 27-20 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Colts on Sunday.
Despite the loss, the Buccaneers got a solid performance out of Mike Evans, who picked up 70 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Carolina's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Sunday after their fourth straight loss. They fell 17-10 to the Titans.
Even though they lost, the Panthers were rock solid where kicking is concerned and finished the game having kicked 100% of their field goals. This was only their seventh loss (out of eight games) when the kicker is dialed in.
Tampa Bay has not been sharp recently, as they've lost six of their last seven contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-7 record this season. As for Carolina, they have yet to win a match on the road this season, leaving them with a 1-10 record.
In addition to losing their last games, the pair failed to cover the spread. Looking forward, the Buccaneers are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 5.5 points. This contest will be the Panthers' 12th straight as the underdogs (so far over this stretch they are 2-8-1 against the spread).
Tampa Bay beat Carolina 30-24 in their previous meeting back in January. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Panthers' Sam Darnold, who threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Sunday, will it be that much easier for the Buccaneers to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
