Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Carolina Panthers Prediction, 12/26/2021 NFL Picks, Best Bets & Odds Week 16

Game: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Carolina Panthers

Date: Sunday, December 26, 2021

Location: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC

TV: FOX

Odds/Point Spread: Panthers (+11.5)

Total/Over-Under: 48.5

Bank of America Stadium is the location where the Carolina Panthers (5-9) will try to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-4) on Sunday. Tampa Bay opens this matchup as 11.5-point favorites. The total comes in at 48.5.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers come into this game with a record of 10-4 this year. In their last game, the Buccaneers played the Saints and ended up losing by a score of 9-0. Ronald Jones II led the offense in rushing for the Buccaneers with 8 carries for 63 yards (7.9 yds per attempt). Chris Godwin averaged 8.2 yards per catch by accumulating 49 yds on 6 catches. Tom Brady connected on 26/48 with 214 yds passing. He had a quarterback rate of 57.1 and walked away from the contest with 1 interception. Against the rush, the Buccaneers conceded 61 yds on 31 tries, which averages out to 2.0 yds per run allowed. Tampa Bay allowed 13 completions on 27 tries for 151 yards, and a completion percentage of 48.1%. At the end of the game, they tallied 73 plays which gave them a total of 302 yds. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ran the football 21 times and recorded 118 yards, which had them averaging 5.6 yards per tote.

In terms of putting points on the board, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are averaging 29.3 PPG. As a unit they have an average of 97.6 yards rushing which has them sitting 24th in the National Football League. The Buccaneers have racked up 5,634 yards in total for this campaign. Tampa Bay has a total of 225 first downs, and they have committed 85 infractions for 775 yards. They have surrendered the football 18 times (11 picks and 7 fumbles lost). When it comes to distribution of touchdowns, Tampa Bay has earned 36 touchdowns through the air and 14 touchdowns on the ground.

When talking about yards through the air, the Buccaneers have conceded 3,425 yards which has them ranked 23rd in the NFL. They are giving up 244.6 yards per game via the pass as well as conceding a completion percentage of 67.1%. In total, they are surrendering 333.6 yards per contest which puts them 10th in football. They have yielded 23 touchdowns via the pass as well as 9 touchdowns pounding the rock. The opposition is running for an average of 4.2 yards per run and 89.0 rushing yards per game for the year. During this campaign, they have conceded 1,246 yards via the ground game in 14 games. The Buccaneers sit in 12th in the league in relation to team defense, conceding 21.9 points per game.

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The Panthers head into this game 5-9 for this season. In their last game, the Panthers took a loss by a score of 31-14 when they played the Bills. Cam Newton (1 touchdown) finished the game with 156 yards on 18/38 through the air while his QB rate was 56.5. He had 1 pick and his avg yards per attempt was 4.11 yds. D.J. Moore was featured in the passing game for the Panthers, catching 6 balls for 48 yards (8.0 yards per catch). Chuba Hubbard ran the ball 8 times for 40 yds, ending the game with 5.0 yds per attempt for Carolina. The Panthers finished the game with 275 yds while they ran 71 plays (3.9 yards per play). Carolina ran the football for 5.2 yds per attempt, finishing the contest with 151 yards on 29 attempts. Carolina conceded 27 rushing attempts for 119 yds (4.4 yds per carry). The Panthers passing defense allowed a completion percentage of 55.9%, surrendering 193 yards on 19 out of 34 through the air.

When looking at this team's ability to score points, the Panthers currently sit 25th in football averaging 19.4 PPG. For the year thus far, the Panthers have earned 2,736 yards via the pass as well as an average of 195.4 throwing yards per contest, which has them ranked 29th in football. They are averaging 112.6 yards per game via the rush and have toted the ball for 1,577 yards for this year. The Carolina Panthers hold an average of 308.1 yards/game which ranks them 29th out of all teams in the NFL. The Carolina offense has racked up 817 yds of penalties on 99 violations, which is 3rd in football in terms of making mistakes. They have given away 18 interceptions while allowing opponents to recover 6 fumbles and they have been able to earn 146 1st downs.

The Panthers are allowing 22.4 points per game, which has them ranked 16th of all teams in the league. Carolina has given up a total of 1,618 yards rushing (115.6 yards per contest) and 12 touchdowns by ground this season. They have given up 21 touchdowns through the air and 178.8 yards/contest, which puts them in 2nd out of all teams. The Panthers defense has been on the field for 848 plays, which has them ranked 7th in football. Overall, they have allowed 313 points in total. They have earned 16 takeaways (7 fumbles and 9 picks) for the year.

Who will win tonight's Buccaneers/Panthers NFL game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Buccaneers -11.5

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