PewterReport.com Publisher & Bucs Beat Writer Scott Reynolds
On this week’s Pewter Nation Podcast – which you really need to listen to, by the way as it previews the Bucs vs. Panthers game – I said that Tampa Bay would win because the defense plays better at home. But that was before I knew that Brent Grimes was going to be officially declared out with a shoulder injury. If you recall in last year’s 17-16 win against Carolina at home in Week 17, Grimes was stellar and had a key pick-six in the game. Without him playing, it changes everything, including my pick for this week.

Carolina has struggled running the ball you say? Well so did Arizona and Buffalo before they played Tampa Bay. The Bucs defense is the perfect tonic for any ineffective ground game or struggling quarterback, which brings me to Cam Newton. The Panthers QB has a chance to run for 50 plus yards against this Bucs defense if it continues to stunt like crazy, which usually opens inadvertent running lanes for mobile quarterbacks (see Tyrod Taylor last week). Tampa Bay’s pass rush needs to come alive and get Newton on the ground, but I don’t see that happening. The coaching is not good along the defensive line, and the Bucs don’t have the horses up front outside of Gerald McCoy and Clinton McDonald to consistently apply pressure.

And with Newton having two, big physical receivers in Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess, that could spell problems for the most inexperienced group of cornerbacks the Bucs have ever fielded with Ryan Smith, Vernon Hargreaves III and Javien Elliot, who will play nickel. All three are second-year players and have a combined 29 starts. And you know that former Bucs wide receiver and special teams captain Russell Shepard will want to show out against his former team at Raymond James Stadium.

The Bucs defense can’t sleep on tight end Ed Dickson, either. He’s averaging 18.1 yards per catch and has the most plays of 20 yards or more (six) this season, including a season-long 64-yard catch. Between him and running back Christian McCaffrey, the team’s first-round pick, who has a team-high 44 catches out of the backfield, the Bucs linebackers may be too busy to spy Newton.

Tampa Bay’s offense is going to have to carry the day and win a shoot out at Ray-Jay to give the team a chance to win. I expect a high-scoring game, as Jameis Winston, Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, Cam Brate and O.J. Howard need to come alive early and take advantage of Carolina’s suspect secondary that will be better with the return of safety Kurt Coleman, who has missed the last three games. The Bucs offense needs to get out of the habit of starting slow and then roaring back to life in the second half.

And finally, the worst nightmare for a Bucs fan comes true on Sunday if Panthers kicker Graham Gano is still too sick from the flu to suit up and Roberto Aguayo is signed from the practice squad and kicks a game-winning field goal against Tampa Bay. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. If Aguayo does play, Chris Baker should be on the field goal rush team, and stand up and swear at Aguayo before the kick like he did in training camp on Hard Knocks to distract him and cause him to miss.

Reynolds’ Score Prediction: Panthers 31, Buccaneers 30
Reynolds’ Pick To Click: WR Mike Evans

PewterReport.com’s Editor & Bucs Beat Writer Mark Cook
I have been having a terrible football year. My son’s football team was bounced from the playoffs on Friday night, my Noles have looked like … well you know, and my 12-4 prediction for the Buccaneers is looking just a tad off.

I still think the Buccaneers can win this game. The Panthers are just as a big of a disappointment as the Buccaneers. And the Bucs do play much better at home, at least through the early part of the season. They will need to play as well offensively against Carolina as they did last week in the second half of the Bills game in order to have a chance however. I just don’t have much, if any, confidence in this Bucs defense. The inability to generate any pass rush at all will give Cam Newton all day to throw, and if by chance the Bucs do cover well, then he might have 100 yards on the ground when he takes off from the pocket. The Bucs will need Kwon Alexander to play much better than he did last week or it could a be a long day at Raymond James.

While my concern for the defense is real, so is my optimism for the offense as well however. This team can move the ball against Carolina, and they just might have to put up 30 points to win. The good news is, the Bucs can do it. They started really clicking on all cylinders last week and I think this offense is finally on the verge of putting it all together.

The weather should be perfect, the game should be entertaining, well high scoring at least, and the Bucs will come out on top. Maybe. Hopefully. Well let me wrap this up before I talk myself out of my prediction.

Cook’s Score Prediction: Buccaneers 31, Panthers 30
Cook’s Pick To Click: WR DeSean Jackson

PewterReport.com’s Buccaneers Beat Reporter Trevor Sikkema
Last week I wrote that the Bills game was as real of a “must win” game that the Buccaneers would find outside of their division this year given their circumstances.

Make no mistake; if the Bucs lose against Carolina, they will not make the playoffs.

The Bucs are currently last in the NFC South. Though some of the tough games of their schedule are behind them, they didn’t make the most of them. Instead, they’re looking up at: a Carolina team that started off hot and has that buffer of wins, a New Orleans team that is hitting its stride, and an Atlanta team that only has curious losses because they can’t get out of their own way – if that changes, Atlanta because a machine again.

Winston did re-injury his shoulder in the Bills game, per Koetter, but he should be relatively fine I don’t expect him to be limited much, if at all. At that point, it’s just about execution. I don’t have much faith in the Buccaneers defense due to their defensive line and the injuries to their corners. Winston has to put up 30 points – with the hope of the season hanging in the balance – or it might not be enough.

The Buccaneers will be without their two starting outside cornerbacks, which already puts them behind the 8-ball. If there’s some silver lining to that, it’s that Carolina isn’t the most consistent passing team, so they could stumble on their own. To me, however, this game is all about the defensive line. The Bucs defensive line was embarrassing last week, and has been embarrassing since training camp. That gives me little faith that it’s going to get better. If it doesn’t, they won’t win.

Gerald McCoy can only do so much – he’s been fantastic when put in the right positions, make no mistake about it – but whether it’s changing up what he’s doing, voicing what needs to be voiced, or rallying the players in his own way, he knows changes have to be made. He can’t just sit by and bite his tongue. It’s up to him.

Sikkema’s Score Prediction: Panthers 28, Buccaneers 20
Sikkema’s Pick To Click: DT Gerald McCoy