Buccaneers face anemic Carolina offence: Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers preview
The Buccaneers are proving that you don’t have to win pretty, just win. The Buccaneers are not overly impressive in any category except the win column. They simply find ways to win by making plays when they need them most.
The Panthers would take a win any way they could get it right now. They’re 1-7 and you could pretty much stick a fork in their playoff hopes. They’re already 0-3 in divisional games and in the competitive NFC South, that does not spell a playoff berth.
The Buccaneers are ranked 21st in points scored and in total yards with 19.6 points per game and 316 yards per game. Defensively they give up 23.8 points per game and 360 yards per game, 26th and 24th in the league. The fact that they’re 5-3 says a lot about
the intangibles of the team. They seem to have something you can’t measure on paper.
As for the Panthers, you can definitely measure why they’re losing. They have the league’s worst offence, period. They’re last in nearly every offensive category. Those categories are points per game (11), yards per game (244.4) and passing yards per game (153.6).
Their running game, which many thought would be their strength this season, hasn’t been much better with just 90.8 yards per game, for 26th overall.
With talented players like DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart as their running backs and Steve Smith at wide receiver, the weakness lies in their quarterback situation. Their offensive line cannot be excused either.
The Panthers may be without Stewart this weekend after the tailback suffered a concussion last Sunday. Williams is still questionable with a foot injury.
To make matters worse, their starter Matt Moore is done for the season, meaning it’s rookie Jimmy Clausen’s team once again. Clausen may very well have a bright future, but that bright future will not come this season. Clausen has really struggled in his rookie
campaign, with a 46.8 per cent completion rating. He has just 501 yards and a touchdown, to go with four interceptions in his six games played, with three starts.
Tampa Bay will look to take advantage of the Panthers’ offensive woes by jumping ahead early. To do that, they’ll use the un-drafted rookie LaGarrette Blount, who has emegered as their number one back. Blount has incredible power and surprising speed at 240
pounds. He’ll look to exploit a Panthers defence that is ranked 25th against the run with 124.8 yards allowed per game.
Josh Freeman ‘s stats may look ordinary, but he has orchestrated some dramatic victories and has become the leader of this young bunch. He may find it tough this Sunday, as the Panthers are fifth against the pass, allowing just 190.2 yards per game. The good
news is, he likely won’t have to play from behind that much, meaning the Buccaneers can ride with their running game and keep a weak Carolina offence in check.
This should be another win for the Buccaneers, as they’re at home and need a divisional win badly after a loss to Atlanta last week. The Panthers just look abysmal right now and may just have to play for pride at this point.
Tags: