Tampa Bay Buccaneers look to make it four wins in a row with victory over Carolina Panthers - NFL Preview
A big National Football Conference (NFC) South rivalry game will be played on Sunday as the high flying Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take on the Carolina Panthers in week 11.
The Buccaneers have come a long way from the disappointment of last season and are delivering some big results under new head coach Greg Schiano.
They currently lie second in the NFC South with a 5-4 record and are on a three-game winning run while victory over the Panthers will lead the Buccaneers to post four consecutive wins for the first time in over four years.
Tampa Bay’s resurgence is down to the resurgence of quarterback Josh Freeman who has delivered some big performances during the Buccaneers current winning run.
Freeman has this year passed for 2,257 yards and 18 touchdowns as he builds a strong partnership with star receiver Vincent Jackson who was acquired by the franchise this year.
Coach Greg Schiano lavished praise on his quarterback for his brilliant production in recent games and said:
"I think he understands better what we're doing and what we're asking of him. He's playing within himself. He's not trying to make plays. He's just trusting his training and the plays come when you're as talented as Josh Freeman is."
Adding further he said:
"What we're trying to do is get guys loose and playing free, knowing what they're doing instead of having to think about it.”
The Buccaneers managed to hold off the Panthers in their first game of the season as they posted a 16-10 victory and are aiming for a much bigger margin this time around.
Carolina’s struggles this year do not make for good reading.
The franchise is bottom of the NFC South division with a 2-7 record as quarterback Cam Newton struggles to recapture the form he displayed in his debut season last year.
At the start of the season the Panthers were expected to make a big push for the playoffs but results have not gone their way.
Carolina managed to end their five-game losing run at Washington Redskins in week 9 but failed to build on that win as they succumbed to another defeat in week 10 against Denver Broncos.
Quarterback Cam Newton expressed his disappointment with the franchise’s results this year but promised that better times are ahead.
Speaking to the media he said:
"It's very embarrassing, but things are going to change – hopefully. I can't keep saying that and not holding up to it, but there are brighter days ahead for the Carolina Panthers."
This is a big game for both teams but it’s hard to see beyond anything other than a Tampa Bay win as the Panthers are still struggling to come up with a winning formula.
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