NFL insider reveals surprising take ahead of Bucs-Panthers

Longtime NFL writer Pete Prisco of CBS Sports has had a pretty successful year with his game picks. On Saturday, the favored 7-9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the NFC South-leading Carolina Panthers (8-8). Dave Canales’s club can clinch the division’s top spot with a win.

Prisco chose Raheem Morris’s team to come up with a 26-20 victory.

“This might be for the division title—it is if Carolina wins—even if both teams are limping into this game,” explained Prisco. “The Bucs have dragged in the second half of the season, but they are at home and have guys who have played in a lot of big games. Look for the offense to get it going here as Baker Mayfield gets the better of Bryce Young.”

Perhaps the surprising aspect here is that while the Panthers have been remarkably consistent in terms of their inconsistency. Dating back to a Week 7 victory over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, Canales’s club has alternated wins and losses in their last 10 outings. That includes a 23-20 triumph over the Buccaneers in Week 16 at Charlotte in which the franchise snapped a five-game losing streak in this rivalry. The Panthers have not lost two straight games since they started the season 0-2.

Baker sacked — Dec 21, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers linebacker Christian Rozeboom (56) tackles Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) during the second half at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Meanwhile, the Bucs have shown little signs of snapping out of a funk that has seen them drop four straight and seven of their last eight games after opening the season with a 6-2 mark. Morris’s club has offered little resistance on defense, while quarterback Baker Mayfield has committed a total of 10 turnovers in the team’s last seven contests.

Now according to Prisco’s prediction regarding the Falcons/Saints clash in Atlanta, the Buccaneers will win a fifth straight NFC South due to the fact that he picks New Orleans to come up with a 23-21 road victory. A quick explanation. A three-way tie between the Panthers, Buccaneers and Falcons at 8-9 would give Carolina the NFC South title based on the Panthers’ combined 3-1 record vs. the other two clubs.

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