Game 15

Bucs (10-4) at Stinking Panthers (5-9)

Kickoff: 1 p.m.

TV: WTVT-TV Channel 13.

Streaming: Fans may stream the broadcast from Buccaneers.com or on a mobile device using one of the following: Buccaneers official app, Peacock app or Yahoo! Sports app. Geographic restrictions apply.

Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network WXTB-FM 97.9 in the Tampa-St. Petersburg region (Transmisiones de radio en español en WTMP-FM 96.1 y WMGG-AM 1470 en Tampa). Additional stations throughout Florida on the Buccaneers Radio Network can be found here. The game will also be broadcast on SiriusXM Channel 83 (Buccaneers Radio Network broadcast).

Weather: Really nice weather for football in Charlotte today, per AccuWeather.com. Tailgaters may need a jacket as it will be in the low 60s to start the morning but will quickly warm up to 72 by kickoff under sunny skies. That temperature should hold for the remainder of the game.

Odds: Per BetMGM, as of noon Saturday, Bucs -10; over/under 43.

Zebras: Referee Brad Allen’s crew is in the middle of the pack when it comes to throwing laundry, per Rotowire.com, If Allen’s gang has a tendency to throw flags on certain calls, it would be pass interference. Allen’s crew has the fifth-most penalties in the league on pass interference with eight.

Injuries: Bucs — Out: WR Mike Evans (hamstring), S Antonio Winfield (foot), OLB Jason Pierre-Paul (shoulder). Doubtful: OLB Jason Pierre-Paul (shoulder). Questionable: CB Jamel Dean (illness), DB Richard Sherman (Achilles). Stinking Panthers — Questionable: T Cameron Irving (calf), DT Phil Hoskins (back), WR D.J. Moore (hamstring).

Outlook: Joe has no idea what to expect from this game. If Joe had to wager on this it — glances at his cell phone — Joe would pick the under. The slimy Saints knocked out 58 percent of the Bucs’ offense last Sunday with injuries to Chris Godwin, Mike Evans and Playoff Lenny. Yeah, yeah, yeah Antonio Brown. But Brown hasn’t played since the win over the Eagles in October. That’s a lot of rust to shake off. Will Ronald Jones be focused and confident and motivated and in shape? You tell Joe. Carolina’s rush defense is meh, ranked 19th in the NFL averaging 115 yards allowed a game. It’s pass defense where the Stinking Panthers excel. So if anything RoJo, if motivated/focused/confident/in shape, should be able to expose this Carolina defense. Please, no more diving out of bounds short of the sticks! If Bucs backups like Breshad Perriman and Scotty Miller can step up, the Bucs should rout this team. But will the backup receivers step up? We will find out later.

Trinkets: … QB Tom Brady passed for 341 yards and had 4 touchdowns (3 passing, 1 rushing) without a pick in the last meeting. Has 295+ passing yards in 3 of his past 4 games against the Stinking Panthers. Has 2+ touchdown passes
in 4 of his past 5 road starts. Needs 4 touchdown passes to join Aaron Rodgers as the only players with 3 40+ touchdown pass seasons and Drew Brees as the only players with 40+ touchdowns in consecutive years. … RB Ronald Jones had a season-high 71 scrimmage yards (63 rushing, 8 receiving) last week. Had a career-high 198 scrimmage yards (career-high 192 rush, 6 receiving) and a rushing touchdown in the last meeting. Aims for his fourth in a row vs. Carolina with a rushing touchdown. … WR Antonio Brown had 7 catches in the last meeting. Has 5+ catches in 4 of his 5 games this season. … TE Rob Gronkowski has 50+ receiving yards in 4 of his past 5. Had a receiving touchdown in the last meeting. … LB Devin White had 2 tackles for loss last week. He has 10+ tackles in 3 of his past 4 on road. … LB Shaq Barrett has 4 sacks and 5 tackles for loss in 2 career games at Carolina and aims for his third in a row at Carolina with a sack and 2+ tackles for loss. … QB Cam Newton became the first QB all-time with a rush touchdown in each of his frst 5 games of the season and second QB in the Super Bowl era (Kyler Murray is the other) with a rushing touchdown in 5-straight games. Newton is 1 of 6 since 1990 with 5+ rushing touchdowns in 9 of his first 11 seasons. He has 29 touchdowns (20 passing, 9 rushing) in 14 career starts against the Bucs. … RB Chuba Hubbard is 1 of 3 rookie running backs (Najee Harris and Javonte Williams) with 500+ rush yards (500) and 150+ receiving yards (153) in 2021. … RB Ameer Abdullah had a season-high 48 receiving yards and 7th-career touchdown catch last week. … WR D.J. Moore led the Stinking Panthers with 6 catches and had 48 receiving yards in Week 15. He has 986 receiving yards in 2021 and can record his third consecutive 1,000+ receiving yard season. He has 5+ catches in 8 of his past 9 at home. He had 96 receiving yards and a touchdown catch in his last home meeting. Aims for his fifth in row vs. Tampa Bay with 70+ receiving yards. … WR Robby Anderson had 62 scrimmage yards (33 rushing, 29 receiving) last week. He has 85+ receiving yards in 2 of his 3 career games vs. Tampa Bay. … LB Haason Reddick is 1 of 4 (Myles Garrett, Trey Hendrickson and T.J. Watt) with 11+ sacks in each of the past 2 seasons. He has 6.5 sacks in 7 home games this season. … DE Brian Burns tied his career-high with his 9th sack of the season last week. He has a tackle for loss in 2 of his past 3 vs. Tampa Bay. … S Jeremy Chinn needs 2 tackles for his second-straight 100+ tackle season and aims for his fourth in a row at home with 11+ tackles. … LB Shaq Thompson had a forced fumble in last home meeting and aims for his third in a row at home vs. the Bucs with a tackle for loss.

Fun fact: The Stinking Panthers may have a good defense (second in average yards allowed at 294) but their offense is as bad as the defense is good. Carolina averages 301 yards a game on offense. That’s 29th in the league. In particular is the passing attack of the Stinking Panthers, 29th in the NFL averaging 195 yards a game. Since the Bucs like to focus on the run, this should play right into their hands.

Tampa Bay clinches NFC South division title with:

TB win or tie OR
NO loss or tie

Tampa Bay clinches playoff berth with:

MIN loss or tie + PHI loss or tie OR
MIN loss or tie + DAL win or tie OR
MIN loss or tie + DAL clinches at least a tie in strength-of-victory tiebreaker over PHI

.@rondebarber is back to break down film 🎞️ pic.twitter.com/swxE4hFyK3

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) December 22, 2021

Insight & fun from The Identity Tampa Bay and Joe. It’s TAMPA TWO!

Derrick Brooks dives in on the Bucs’ loss to the Saints, one he predicted last week. Sage Ira Kaufman, as always, is right alongside Brooks in this episode.