Panthers at Buccaneers Over 36 1/2
Baker Mayfield comes across as obnoxious and unlikeable. At least he does to me. He’s never justified himself to be worth the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft becoming more journeyman than star. The Buccaneers are Mayfield’s fourth NFL team in the last three years.
But I have to give Mayfield credit for grit and producing some underrated numbers this season. He has 17 touchdown passes and thrown for 199 or more yards in his last eight games.
Now Mayfield gets to face Carolina’s 30th-ranked defense at home. So I expect the Buccaneers to produce their share of points. The key is will Carolina keep up? I believe they will, making this a higher scoring game than the oddsmaker has envisioned with this low total.
This will be Carolina’s first game under interim coach Chris Tabor. He’s the Panthers’ special teams coach. This is what Tabor was quoted as saying about his coaching style: “I’m going to coach loose and I’m gonna coach to have fun because that’s the only way I know in order to be successful.”
Now that Frank Reich is gone, it’s time for the Panthers to take the training wheels of Bryce Young. The Panthers don’t have a very good offensive line. They lack speedy weapons and their ground attack leaves much to be desired. Still, Young definitely can have success against this opponent.
Tampa Bay ranks second-to-last in pass defense. The Buccaneers also have ruled out important players on defense. Out are cornerback Jamel Dean and their two best linebackers, Lavonte David and Devin White.
If you discount their 20-6 victory against a bad Tennessee offense three weeks ago, the Buccaneers are giving up an average of 31 points in their last three games.
I’ve also wagered Adam Thielen Over 58 1/2 receiving yards on a prop bet. The still reliable Thielen is Young’s go-to guy. He’s caught 77 passes – 31 percent of the Panthers’ receptions – while averaging 66.1 receiving yards a game.
I have five premium NFL plays today in addition to this free selection headed by my Non-Conference Total of the Month and same game side/total Parlay of the Month. I have won 61 percent of my last 138 NFL totals going 82-53-3. I also am on a 12-4 college basketball hot streak and have a CBB play today along with my NFL. If you are interested in my sports service, please email me at scriber26@gmail.com, or message me via X (Twitter). Best of luck and no bad beats!
