The Carolina Panthers are hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football. The game is scheduled for an 8:30 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on ESPN. The NFL?Odds for the game have the Panthers favored to pick up the win.

NFL?Odds
Carolina -5.5
Total:?46 points

Carolina (1-3) is going to be without Cam Newton here, but the Panthers still believe they can win with backup?Derek Anderson. Carolina has not been sharp on either side of the football this season and their three defeats have come to division leaders Denver, Minnesota and Atlanta. The 118 points given up by the Panthers this season comes out to 29.5 points per game, something that is not consistent with how Carolina has played in previous seasons on the defensive side of the football.

Tampa Bay (1-3) has lost three straight games, two by blowout fashion to Arizona and Denver where they scored just a single touchdown in each game. Much like Carolina, the Bucs defense has been one that is giving up a ton of points (32 per game). But, unlike Carolina, the Bucs are still stuck in double digit points for the season at just 77, which obviously doesn’t put them in a good spot, though in two of their games they had a combined 14 points.

Jameis Winston and the Bucs own one of the better wins on the season, a 31-24 opening week victory in?Atlanta, the only team to beat the Falcons this season. Since then it’s been a real struggle for the Bucs. They absolutely can’t run the football and all of the pressure offensively has fallen on Winston and the passing game, where he’s thrown eight touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Tampa Bay’s defense has a chance to step up here and have a big game in a contest the Bucs can steal with Newton not playing.

Free Pick:?UNDER 46 points scored

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