The NFC South rivals Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers meet for the first time this season in Week 13. The Buccaneers are road favorites for this divisional clash.
Tampa Bay (5-6) is a game behind the Arizona Cardinals for the final wild-card spot in the NFC. It's the same deficit for the division lead, but the Atlanta Falcons have already swept the Bucs, so they need to make the most of their remaining divisional games.
Carolina (3-8) is well out of the postseason hunt but has been playing better lately. The Panthers won back-to-back games before falling to the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs last week on a walk-off field goal.
Quarterback Bryce Young has bounced back from his benching earlier this season and is coming off his best performance. He finished with 263 passing yards and a touchdown with no turnovers against the Chiefs' top-10 defense. Young may continue on this upward trajectory against a Tampa Bay defense that is giving up 255.5 passing yards per game (29th in the NFL), has allowed 20 touchdown passes, and recorded only five interceptions.
For the Bucs, last week's rout of the New York Giants was the sixth time they have scored 30 or more points. Baker Mayfield is seventh in the league in passing yards (2,799) and third in touchdown passes (24), despite top wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin missing significant time. Godwin (dislocated ankle) is on injured reserve but Evans (hamstring) returned after a three-game absence last Sunday and finished with a team-high 68 receiving yards.
Tampa Bay also has been productive on the ground, ranking 10th in the league in rushing offense at 128.1 yards per game. Contrast that to Carolina, which is dead last against the run (160.1 yards per game allowed), and it's understandable why the Bucs are favored as they aim to stay relevant in both the divisional and wild-card races.
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