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BUCCANEERS at PANTHERS

WHEN: Sunday, December 21, 2025 | WHERE: Bank of America Stadium | KICKOFF: 1:00 p.m. ET | TV: FOX

PLAY-BY-PLAY: Chris Myers | ANALYST: Mark Schlereth | SIDELINE: Jen Hale

RADIO: 98 ROCK 97.9 FM | PLAY-BY-PLAY: Gene Deckerhoff | ANALYST: Dave Moore | SIDELINE: T.J. Rives

Game day is approaching, and it’s time for the Pewter Report staff to make its weekly game predictions and offer up our game preview of this week’s matchup. Let us know what you think in the article comments section and add your prediction, too.

Scott Reynolds: There Is A Charging Of The Guard In The NFC South

I’m sorry, Bucs fans. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t have a lot of confidence in picking Tampa Bay to travel to Carolina to beat the best team in the NFC South after losing back-to-back games – at home – to the two lesser teams in the division, New Orleans and Atlanta. The Bucs are just 1-5 since the bye week and Todd Bowles’ defense is absolutely abysmal. The Bucs just give up way too many touchdowns and don’t force enough field goals. The defense makes opposing offenses that are struggling to score points suddenly look like offensive juggernauts when they play Bowles’ troops.

Bucs CB Zyon McCollum and Panthers TE Tommy Tremble – Photo by: USA Today

Tampa Bay’s pass rush struggles to get home and the secondary gives up too many easy catches, big plays and touchdowns – even to rookie or backup quarterbacks, too. After surrendering just 10 passing touchdowns in the first eight games of the season, Bowles’ defense has allowed 13 passing TDs over the last six games since the bye week.

And Tampa Bay’s defense has given up big plays and touchdowns in some instances to lesser role players, such as New England’s Kyle Williams, Buffalo’s Tyrell Shavers, New Orleans’ DeVaughn Vele and Atlanta’s David Sills V. So don’t be surprised when Panthers’ role players like Jalen Coker, Jimmy Horn and Tommy Tremble make impact plays on Sunday – not just star rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan.

I like the fact that Baker Mayfield has a full complement of weapons in the passing game with the return of Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan. Both looked great in their return to action in last week’s loss to Atlanta. Yet scoring 28 points wasn’t good enough to make up for an epic collapse by the Bucs defense in the 29-28 loss to the Falcons. And I think the defense is the culprit once again in another, crushing, one-point loss – this time in Carolina, which will put the Panthers in the driver’s seat to win the NFC South.

REYNOLDS’ GAME PREDICTION: Panthers 31, Bucs 30
REYNOLDS’ SEASON RECORD: 10-4

Matt Matera: Bucs On Wrong Side Of High-Scoring Game

What is there to like or trust about the Bucs on the defensive side of the ball? They have no pass rush, their inside linebackers are slow and can’t cover, and week after week, a player in the secondary makes a huge blunder that leads to a big play for the offense. 

The Bucs find ways every week to make average quarterbacks look like All-Pro players. I hope for the sake of the defense that the Bucs elevate Jason Pierre-Paul to try and shake things up, but Bryce Young will likely have a career day. 

Bucs WRs Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Tampa Bay’s offense can at least point to having all of its receivers back. Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan had a great start in their return to action last game and will probably get increased snaps this week. The Bucs can reach 30 points against the Panthers, but Carolina can do even more against Tampa Bay’s terrible defense.

MATERA’S GAME PREDICTION: Panthers 35, Bucs 32
MATERA’S SEASON RECORD: 9-5

Adam Slivon: Bucs Pull Off Win Over Panthers By Showing Some Fight

The Bucs have been a team lacking much resolve as of late. The latest gut punch has been at the hands of the Falcons, who came back to win on Thursday Night Football, 29-28. In response, Tampa Bay should be pissed off, in the words of Baker Mayfield. Now it is time to punch back, and this week there was more fire within the building. At 7-7, and playing the 7-7 Panthers, this game is the biggest one yet this season.

Carolina poses much more of a challenge than even last year, possessing a strong run game with an even stronger offensive line upfront. Rico Dowdle must be stopped by the Bucs run defense to stand a chance. The front seven has struggled as of late, but fitting the run and applying pressure is paramount to victory. It is also even more critical as Zyon McCollum is on injured reserve. Bryce Young’s top three wide receivers all stand 6-foot-3 and above, so the remaining cornerbacks will be tested.

If the Bucs defense can hold Carolina to about 24 points or less, the offense should be able to do the rest. Things opened up last week for Josh Grizzard and Baker Mayfield with all four wide receivers on the field together at the same time for the first time this  year. Even still, the passing game needs to be supported by an efficient run game. On that front, splitting carries up between Bucky Irving, Rachaad White, and Sean Tucker is the best course of action. With stakes at their highest, Tampa Bay has to play up to their talent level. Having time to rest and focus on this game, I predict they do so, pulling off the road win.

SLIVON’S GAME PREDICTION: Bucs 30, Panthers 24
SLIVON’S SEASON RECORD: 9-5

Bailey Adams: I’ve Lost All Faith In This Bucs Team

It’s not that the Panthers are world-beaters by any means. I actually think the Bucs are the more talented team. And I largely like the matchup from the standpoint of the Tampa Bay offense against Carolina’s defense. But I don’t know how I’m supposed to have faith that things will suddenly turn around for this team down the stretch. For too long, I felt like the Bucs were just in a slump and would be breaking out of it at any moment, but when they blew that 14-point lead against the Falcons in Week 15, I think it fully hit me…

This Bucs team just is what it is at this point. They’re not a team you can rely on, and the December/late-season magic they had in 2023 and 2024 seems to have gone missing in 2025. It wouldn’t necessarily shock me if Tampa Bay finds a way to win this game and sets itself up for a chance to clinch a fifth straight NFC South title in Week 17 against Miami. But the Buccaneers defense just scares me too much to back them at this point, especially on the road against a team that, in some ways, is ahead of schedule and has nothing to lose.

Panthers QB Bryce Young and Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: USA Today

After the defense was beaten by a rookie in Tyler Shough two weeks ago and then eaten alive (again) by a 37-year-old Kirk Cousins last week, I don’t have much belief that this unit will be stopping Bryce Young in Charlotte on Sunday. I think Dave Canales is going to put his quarterback and offense in the right positions to get the better of Todd Bowles’ group, and I’m not sure if the offense will be able to make up for it unless Baker Mayfield suddenly returns to his 2024 form.

The Panthers win and get one step closer to ending the Bucs’ reign atop the NFC South.

ADAMS’ GAME PREDICTION: Panthers 27, Bucs 21
ADAMS’ SEASON RECORD: 10-4

Josh Queipo: Panthers Are All Smoke And Mirrors

The Panthers have scored 20 or more points just twice in their last eight games. Twice! How they are 4-4 over that stretch with a lack of talent on defense is mind-boggling. Over that eight-game stretch they have averaged just 16.5 points per game. With all of their weapons back and healthy the Bucs put up 28 points last week against a Falcons defense that is better than the Panthers defense.

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: USA Today

Todd Bowles announced today that every player is available for this game. Injuries cannot be an excuse this week. This is the healthiest Tampa Bay has been all season. The Buccaneers have to show they can play above their competition and not down to it. And for some reason I still think they are capable of doing just that with three games left in the season.

I had this team reaching the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season. While I don’t think that is still in the cards barring miraculous returns to action in the postseason from defensive tackle Calijah Kancey and perhaps more, I still think this is a more talented team than Carolina. And most importantly, the Panthers struggle to create pressure. That has been the kryptonite of the Bucs offense. This should be a game where Tampa Bay puts up plenty of points to distance themselves from Carolina, both in the game and in the division.

QUEIPO’S GAME PREDICTION: Bucs 34, Panthers 21
QUEIPO’S SEASON RECORD: 8-6