With the 9-3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers coming to town to face the Carolina Panthers, a win against Tampa Bay proves to be essential.  This matchup will mark only the 6th time in NFL history that divisional opponents .750 or better play each other after week twelve, not to mention the fact that it will be a nationally televised game played under the Monday night lights.  For the Bucs, a win will essentially rap up the division as it will put the Panthers two games behind with three to play as the Bucs own the tie-breaker.  A Carolina loss will also put them in danger of missing the playoffs, as the Panthers have to play teams over .500, one of them being the New York Giants. That means this is essentially a must win for the Panthers.

There are a couple of key trends to look at in this game, one is the Panthers performances at home.  The Panthers are 6-0 at home and have outscored their opponents by an average of 14.7 points per game.  Jake Delhomme has literally been twice as good at home than on the road throwing 9 touchdowns and two interceptions at home and three touchdowns and seven interceptions on the road.  Jeff Garcia however plans to ruin any chance for Carolina success as he sports a 5-0 record against the Panthers, one of those wins coming on another Monday night in 2006 when the Panthers were knocked out of the playoff hunt by the Eagles.

Keys to the Game

1. Contain Jeff Garcia- Garcia’s mobility and accuracy while on the move are what make him such a nuisance to opposing defenses.  If the Panthers are going to beat the Bucs, their defense has to step up, and that means containing Jeff Garcia, not letting him get out of the pocket and buy time, which is what he is so good at.

2. Come out firing- One of the things that hurt the Panthers in their last meeting with the Bucs was a slow start.  After getting a punt blocked and throwing and interception on the first three possessions, the Panthers found themselves in a early hole and couldn’t climb out.  Last week the Panthers showed they could come out with some explosiveness, running the flea-flicker, but Offensive Coordinator Jeff Davidson needs to have similar plays drawn up Monday as well so the Panthers can get out to a quick start.

3. Pound the Rock- The third key to success is going to be start pounding away with the run after a lead has been established.  With the DeAngelo Williams spearheading the 7th ranked rush offense, the Panthers need to control the line of scrimmage as well as the clock.  The running and play action game is Carolina’s bread and butter and there’s no reason for them to back away from it now.

4. Run the ball on third and short- The Panthers need to run the ball, and that means on third and short as well.  With Williams proving to be one of the elite backs in the league, there is no reason for the Panthers to try some stupid pass play when Williams can pick up two or three yards whenever he needs to.  I’m not complaining about Delhomme, but why let him throw it when Williams is averaging 4.9 yards per rush?

5. Don’t turn the ball over- The one thing Carolina absolutely cannot afford is to turn the ball over like they did back in week six, all it takes is one bad pass or one stupid fumble to put the Bucs right back into the game.  Protect the football.

I truly believe the Panthers are going to win this football game.  They’re playing at home, they have some serious motivation to beat the Bucs, who have now beaten them three straight times, and this is a must win game.  The only reason I say that is because Jake Delhomme has a knack for stepping up in the clutch, and Delhomme has a rather impressive record against the Bucs as well, he’s 7-2 as a starter against them.

As fart as injuries go LB Adam Seward and DE Hilee Taylor are both doubtful with leg injuries, while Na’il Diggs and Ken Lucas are both probable.  With Gaines Adams, Kevin Carter, and Javon Haye all questionable for the Bucs, there is a possibility they will be missing two maybe three starters on that defensive line.

Panthers 28, Bucs 20

Tags: bucs, new york giants, panthers