With a game against the 4-10 Buccaneers sandwiched between a returning Aaron Rodgers and a finale that may be for the NFC South crown, it seems like this week’s matchup would be easy to overlook for a Panthers team that is facing distractions every time they set foot in Bank of America Stadium. It will take real focus for the team to keep the blinders on and defeat a divisional opponent that would love nothing more than to be a Grinch on Christmas Eve and put a damper on the Panthers’ playoff chances. Will the Panthers be able to make Jameis Winston’s heart grow three sizes? Or will the Buccaneers finally eat the elusive W in lieu of Christmas cookies on their way out of Charlotte? As always, our five-part preview:
Five Players To Watch
#42 Colin Jones, Defensive Back
In the last few weeks, Colin Jones has seemingly found his stride, becoming more than just a special teams ace. How he handles himself against a familiar opponent will give us a better idea about his potential impact come playoff time in the secondary; if he can cover Adam Humphries effectively out of the slot, forcing Jameis Winston into looking for other options, fans should feel more confident in his ability to perform against the NFL’s best in the playoffs should he be needed. If Winston can pick on Jones and force the Panthers to bring in Captain Munnerlyn or Kevon Seymour to replace him on passing downs consistently, it will be back to the drawing board in terms of how Jones should be deployed in the defense.
#17 Devin Funchess, Wide Receiver
Funchess is listed as questionable for Sunday’s matchup, but don’t worry, he will end up playing. If he didn’t, the Panthers would have a starting receiver corps of Damiere Byrd, Kaelin Clay, and Brenton Bersin; that’s not exactly a group that inspires any amount of confidence. As such, Funchess is important to watch because we don’t know the extent of his injury and the impact it will have on the passing attack in general. Will Funchess continue to be an integral part of the passing attack or will offensive coordinator Mike Shula mainly use Funchess as a decoy in hopes of getting Brent Grimes out of the picture and the ball in the hands of Greg Olsen, Christian McCaffrey and Damiere Byrd?
#22 Christian McCaffrey, Running Back
With the extent of Funchess’ injury unknown, McCaffrey becomes an interesting player to watch this week. Will the Panthers utilize him purely as a receiver as they did on only one route last week? Will he see more targets? Will he and Olsen be the primary reads on passing plays? Will his usage as a receiver affect the amount they use him in the running game? Will we see more formations with him and Fozzy Whittaker or Cameron Artis-Payne since Jonathan Stewart is more of a pure running back? How Shula decides to utilize McCaffrey this week will be important to watch due to how depleted the receiving group is and how unique of a weapon McCaffrey is.
#54 Shaq Thompson, Linebacker
Shaq Thompson has a chance to step up and show Panthers fans exactly what he can do this week. With Thomas Davis suspended for one game due to his helmet-to-helmet block on Davante Adams last week, Thompson will be asked to play a big role in defending against an offense that still has weapons even after facing a ton of injuries. How Thompson handles this task in his first game back from injury will either inspire confidence in fans or send them into doomsday prep mode. Thomas Davis has seemingly had Jamies Winston’s number since he entered the league and has had some of his best games against the young signal caller. If Thompson can perform similarly, the Panthers will likely win and fans can relax about Davis’ eventual retirement.
#90 Julius Peppers, Defensive End
Peppers is in a crucial position this week for a number of reasons. Charles Johnson is still suspended for use of PEDs, Mario Addison is banged up and Kawann Short will be focused on stopping the run; in other words, Peppers will need to be the driving force of the Panthers pass rush this week. The good news is that the Buccaneers lost their best offensive lineman, Demar Dotson, to injury which means that Peppers will be in a position to pressure Winston frequently; success for Peppers will lead to a successful day for the rest of the offensive line.
Four Comparisons
Tampa Bay Pass Offense vs. Carolina Pass Defense
The Panthers will need to find a way to slow down Jameis Winston and Mike Evans who have torn apart teams with short passes. The best way to slow the Buccaneers offense down is to pressure Winston and force him to make mistakes. If the Panthers can create a turnover or two when Winston throws on single-read plays, they should be able to contain Tampa’s strong, if not banged up, aerial attack.
Tampa Bay Rush Offense vs. Carolina Rush Defense
The Buccaneers were supposed to rely on Doug Martin to be their bellcow running back, but it has been Peyton Barber who has stepped up and given Jameis Winston help in the past few weeks. However, when the Buccaneers lost Demar Dotson for the season, their rushing attack took a hit. The Panthers will need Shaq Thompson and Luke Kuechly to show good gap discipline in order to force the Buccaneers into being one-dimensional on offense.
Carolina Pass Offense vs. Tampa Bay Pass Defense
The Panthers best plan of action is to take shots down field and utilize Cam Newton’s growing chemistry with Damiere Byrd and Kaelin Clay. The Buccaneers have been bad at defending deep shots, more specifically passes to the deep left side of the field, especially with Vernon Hargreaves on IR and Ryan Smith doubtful. With Brent Grimes expected to follow Devin Funchess, look for other players to step up in his stead, especially with Funchess ailing; a down day for Funchess statistically will not necessarily be a bad thing on Sunday.
Carolina Rush Offense vs. Tampa Bay Rush Defense
With Turner out, the Panthers best rushing avenue between right guard and center is gone. The Panthers would have been able to exploit the Bucs by rushing behind the right guard where the Bucs haven’t recorded a single tackle for a loss this season and have allowed an average of 6.3 yards per carry. What they may do is continue to use quick hits with Christian McCaffrey, specifically around the left side, where they’ve been averaging 6.74 yards per carry this season.
Three Matchups That Matter
Andrew Norwell vs Chris Baker
With Trai Turner out, the Bucs may have McCoy primarily rushing to the right side against Amini Silatolu; this will almost certainly cause double teams and if that’s the case, Ryan Kalil and Daryl Williams will be consistently helping Silatolu with this matchup. What this means is that Norwell will be asked to win his matchup against Baker one-one-one even more than in the past, especially because the Panthers will need to utilize him as the lead blocker in the running game. This game will tell us just how much Andrew Norwell will need to be paid in the offseason; in all likelihood, it will be a large number.
Evan Smith vs Kawann Short
Evan Smith has taken over as the Buccaneers starting center for the past two weeks with Ali Marpet on IR and has played decently in his stead. This week, he will be facing off against Kawann Short who has ripped past a number of talented interior offensive linemen this season; this matchup will be among the most important due to Charles Johnson being suspended and the chance that Mario Addison doesn’t play at 100% health on Sunday.
Mike Evans vs Daryl Worley
Since briefly letting his frustrations known about Kevon Seymour seeing more playing time than him, Worley has improved every game and has looked like the Panthers best corner at times. This week, he will have his hands full facing off against Mike Evans when the Buccaneers move him around the field, which they do a good bit. Even though in their Week 8 matchup, James Bradberry followed Evans for most of the day, I think Worley will have some snaps against the talented wideout. Both are big, strong players who enjoy contact and play intelligently, if Evans beats Worley on a consistent basis then the Panthers will be in trouble and may need James Bradberry to take over shadowing Evans.
Two Plays
Buccaneers – Timing Routes
The Buccaneers have a great combination of speed and strength at the receiver position; as such, their best option is to not force Winston to think much and focus on getting the ball in the hands of Evans. The best way to do this is quick routes that rely more on timing than making reads. This throw may have missed, but look at how much room there is if he had caught it.
Panthers – Designed QB Runs
When the Panthers let Cam call his own number, the offense picks up significantly. The threat of him rushing is game-changing and opens up opportunities for the rest of the team. If he can find room to make two or three big runs, the rest of the offense should be in a position to put points on the board. Over the last few weeks, Newton and the rest of the rushing attack has stepped up; read-option plays have made defenses pay dearly. This week against the Buccaneers, expect the Panthers to utilize read-option plays that leave slow defensive ends to choose between McCaffrey and Newton.
One Bold Prediction: The Panthers force two interceptions and sack Winston twice
In their last five meetings, the Panthers have sacked Winston 12 times and picked him off nine times. In three of those five games, the Panthers have picked off Winston at least twice and in all five of them, the Panthers have recorded at least two sacks.
Plus, Julius Peppers has 18.5 sacks in 18 career games against the Bucs. Expect him to add to those numbers Sunday.
