Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers: Three Keys to the Game
Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians made it clear this week he's not resting anybody as there's still plenty to play for including the No. 2 spot in the NFC playoffs.
The Bucs trounced the Panthers on the road two weeks ago 32-6 so there's a good chance Tampa Bay should be able to cap off the regular season with a 13th win in their back pocket as the team heads into the postseason.
However, the Panthers are hoping to play upset and spoil Tampa Bay's chances at getting a second home game in the playoffs, if they were to advance next week. With that in mind, there's no doubt Carolina will want to win just as badly as the Bucs.
To avoid an upset and finish the regular season on a high note while capturing their third win in a row, here are three things the Bucs must do on Sunday:
1. Limit Carolina's Run Game Once Again
As mentioned above, the Bucs crushed the Panthers the last time these two teams met and one big reason for that result was the ability to stop Carolina's run attack.
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton rushed for 42 yards in the Week 16 meeting and Carolina only totaled 67 yards in the entire game.
The Bucs already have one of the league's best rush defenses, limiting opponents to 91.4. As a matter of the fact, Tampa Bay is just one of five teams in the NFL to not allow more than an average of 100 yards per game this season.
Just like two weeks ago, the Bucs will want to slow down the run game of Carolina and it shouldn't be too difficult of a task for Tampa Bay.
2. Rely on Tom Brady's Arm
Brady threw for 232 yards and a touchdown two weeks ago against the Panthers. Entering this week, the veteran quarterback is within striking distance of the all-time single-season records for both passing yards and completions.
He needs at least 16 competitions to pass Drew Brees to have the most completions in a season in NFL history. In addition, he needs to throw for at least 246 yards to pass his personal record of most passing yards in a season... that he set in 2011.
Brady leads the NFL in passing attempts (682), completions (456), passing yards (4,990), and touchdown passes (40). Only Brees (2008) and Peyton Manning (2013) have led the league in all four categories since 1991.
3. Bend, Don't Break on Defense in the Red Zone
In addition to limiting Carolina's rush attack, there was one other big area that helped lead to a win over the Panthers two weeks ago.
Red Zone Defense.
The Bucs didn't give up a single touchdown and limited Carolina to a pair of field goals. Those 6 points scored against the Bucs were the third least allowed by Tampa Bay this season.
On top of that, Carolina reached the red zone three different times and all three times they came up short.
It'll be difficult once again for the Panthers to even reach the red zone but when they do, the Bucs need to once again keep them off the scoreboard similar to Week 16.
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