Buccaneers vs Panthers Thursday Night Football Picks & Odds – Winston Has Lost 12 Straight on the Road
- The Buccaneers are seven-point underdogs on Thursday against the Panthers
- Tampa Bay is 1-5 straight up in its last six games at Carolina
- Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston has lost 12 straight road games
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers found that the launching of the Bruce Arians era resembled the closure of the Dirk Koetter era.
The Bucs were humbled 31-17 at home against the San Francisco 49ers in their season opener. As they hit the road to face the Carolina Panthers on Thursday Night Football (Sep. 12th, 8:25 PM ET), things don’t figure to get better for Tampa Bay.
The Panthers have won five of the last six head-to-head at home, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Carolina Panthers odds heavily favor Carolina making it six of seven.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Carolina Panthers Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Over/Under |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +255 | +7 (-105) | Over 49.0 (-109) |
| Carolina Panthers | -305 | -7 (+101) | Under 49.0 (-109) |
*Odds taken 09/12/19.
A Dirty Dozen
It’s good to know, in this ever-changing world, there are some things that you can always count on. Jameis Winston being a bad quarterback is one of those things.
The Buccaneers quarterback arrives in Carolina with 12 successive road losses on his resume.
Jameis Winston with the game-clinching TD pass…for the 49ers pic.twitter.com/ieOH4hE5Vd
— Pick Six Podcast (@picksixpod) September 8, 2019
In case you missed it last week, the Bucs lost by two touchdowns and Winston tossed a pair of pick-sixes. He completed more passes that concluded in a TD for the Niners than his own team (one).
This is the Winston version of being a difference maker.
In his fifth NFL season, Winston is still making ill-advised decisions when under pressure, choices that generally lead to another Tampa Bay loss. He’s 21-35 as an NFL starter and last Sunday’s three-pick day was the 18th multi-interception game of his career. That’s an NFL-worst since Winston entered the league in 2015.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Jameis Winston is now 4-12 as a starting quarterback since his infamous “eat a W” pregame speech. #Bucs #GoBucs pic.twitter.com/HBN3oqtRWQ
— Mark Bergin (@mdbergin) September 8, 2019
Winston has been intercepted 61 times. That’s more than any QB in the league over the span of his career. His interception rate is 3.12%. The only current starting QB with a worse career ratio than him is Miami’s Ryan Fitzpatrick (3.42%).
You’ll remember that Fitz was the guy who briefly took Winston’s starting job last season.
About The Buccaneers
The underdog is 5-1 against the spread in the last six Buccaneers-Panthers games. Tampa Bay is 3-0-1 ATS the last four times it’s been an underdog of 6.5 points or more. But the Bucs are 1-6 straight up and 3-4 ATS when Winston is intercepted at least three times.
#Bucs — RB Ronald Jones. 75 yards rushing on 13 carries (5.8 YPC) in Week 1. There’s the jump-cut ability we saw on his college film at USC. @NFLMatchup @JennaLaineESPN pic.twitter.com/gvu90qmIJc
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) September 11, 2019
Tampa Bay is 5-14 ATS the last 19 times the Bucs played in prime time. They’re are also 4-8 ATS in their last 12 against the Panthers and 0-7 SU in their last seven road games.
About The Panthers
Carolina did a dandy job of shutting down Bucs wideout Mike Evans last season. He caught 86 balls for 1,524 yards overall (17.7 yards per catch). In two games against the Panthers, Evans caught five passes for 64 yards (12.8 ypc).
The Carolina Panthers are 3-1 when facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Prime Time on Monday or Thursday nights. #KeepPounding
— Sweet Carolina Panthers (@SweetPanthers) September 12, 2019
The Panthers are 1-4 SU in their last five home games but 5-1 SU in their last five at home against Tampa Bay. They are 1-6 ATS the last seven times they played as a favorite.
The Buccaneers Are Stopped Here
Both teams showed the ability to run the ball during Week 1. That likely leads to the clock moving faster, which should make the under a solid play in this game.
Were it not for two first-half fumbles and a missed field, the Panthers might’ve upset the defending NFC champion Los Angeles Rams last week.
#Panthers — CB James Bradberry INT. Watch the technique/pedal. Controlled footwork (with the shoulders square) vs. a vertical release. Drive on the ball to finish. @NFLMatchup @DNewtonespn pic.twitter.com/NSwVSeNlMp
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) September 11, 2019
Last season, favorites were 11-4-1 ATS on Thursday nights. No surprise there. The better team does better during a short week.
Take the Panthers, lay the points and go with the under.
Picks: Carolina moneyline (-305); Carolina -7 (+101); Under 49 (-109)
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
