by Rod Pearson
Tuesday, Oct 20, 2026
Game Time: 1:00 pm ET, Sunday, October 25, 2026
Venue: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Where to Watch: FOX
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Buccaneers +3.5, Panthers -3.5; Over/Under: 44.5 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Buccaneers +3.5, Panthers -3.5; Over/Under: 44.5 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Buccaneers +3.5, Panthers -3.5; Over/Under: 44.5 points
Season Record
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1-5 (4th place, NFC South)
Carolina Panthers: 3-2 (1st place, NFC South)
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Recent Form
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: lost their last game at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-19 in overtime.
Carolina Panthers: won their last game on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles 25-14.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Carolina Panthers Preview and Analysis
The Buccaneers are entering this game with a 1-5 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their divisional games too. They are 0-4 in their home games, 1-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They lost their last game against the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-19 in OT. Jalon Daniels was the starting QB and he completed 22/43 passes for 164 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. Bucky Irving led the team in rushing yards with 46. Emeka Egbuka led the receivers with 48 receiving yards on 7 receptions and 1 TD. Josiah Trotter led the defense in that game with 12 solo tackles while David Walker led the defense in sacks with 2. A'Shawn Robinson came away with the only interception for them in that one.
The Panthers are entering this game with a 3-2 record overall and they have a 1-0 record in their divisional games too. They are 1-1 in their home games, 2-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against the Philadelphia Eagles 25-14. Bryce Young was the starting QB and he completed 20/39 passes for 281 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Chuba Hubbard led the team in rushing yards with 120 and 1 TD. Jalen Coker led the receivers with 97 receiving yards on 6 receptions. Bobby Okereke led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles while Bobby Okereke and Devin Lloyd each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.
Buccaneers vs Panthers Prediction
The current betting odds have the Panthers listed as a 3.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Panthers have looked good in their games this season with their 3-2 record overall which has them right at the top of the NFC South. They haven't looked great on their home field though with their 1-1 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers have looked terrible in their games this season with their 1-5 record overall which has them right at the bottom of the NFC South. They haven't been a bad road team though with their 1-1 road record this year. The Buccaneers have had a terrible start to the season and it doesn't help that they have been missing their starting QB Baker Mayfield. They managed to pick up a road win against the Cowboys without him, but now they are coming off a 26-19 loss to the Steelers in their last one and they continue to find ways to lose games. They were leading the Steelers for a lot of that game and probably should have won, but they keep blowing these games late and that has been a common theme for Todd Bowles going back to the 2nd half of the season last year. The Panthers won this division last season due to that 2nd half collapse by the Buccaneers and the Panthers are the only team in this division above .500 right now. They are coming off a 25-14 road win over the Eagles and they have looked good on offense with Bryce Young making a lot of improvements. This offense is going to continue getting better in every game and even the defense has looked better lately. Look for the Panthers to take advantage of the Buccaneers in their current situation and beat up on a bad team in the division. The best way to place a bet here is on the Panthers to cover the spread in this game.
Buccaneers Panthers Prediction: Our NFL Pick for Sunday, October 25, 2026 (1:00 pm ET start time) is Panthers 34 Buccaneers 17.
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NFL Betting Trends
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 16-24 ATS in all games. 5-9 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record. 4-8 ATS vs. bad defensive teams who give up 24 or more points/game. 16-10 OVER in all games where the total is between 42.5 and 49 points. 11-3 OVER when playing against a team with a winning record.
Carolina Panthers: 16-8 ATS in all games where the total is between 42.5 and 49 points. 18-11 ATS against conference opponents. 28-19 ATS vs. poor passing teams averaging 175 or less passing yards/game. 12-3 OVER in a home game where the total is between 42.5 and 49 points. 12-6 OVER after playing their last game on the road.
Key Injuries
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: None.
Carolina Panthers: None.
Notable Quotes
“We've got to be able to finish games.” - Todd Bowles after his team’s loss against the Steelers in their last game.
“Great fight in the guys.” - Dave Canales after his team’s win against the Eagles in their last game.
Starting Lineups
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
WR Hurst III, Ted
WR Egbuka, Emeka
WR Godwin Jr., Chris
TE Otton, Cade
QB Daniels, Jalon
RB Irving, Bucky
Carolina Panthers
WR McMillan, Tetairoa
WR Tremayne, Brycen
WR Coker, Jalen
TE Tremble, Tommy
QB Young, Bryce
RB Hubbard, Chuba
Statistical Leaders
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Passing: Baker Mayfield (615)
Rushing: Bucky Irving (452)
Receiving: Emeka Egbuka (240)
Touchdowns: Bucky Irving (3)
Carolina Panthers
Passing: Bryce Young (1,549)
Rushing: Chuba Hubbard (426)
Receiving: Tetairoa McMillan (471)
Touchdowns: Chuba Hubbard (6)
Coaches:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Todd Bowles (5th season)
Carolina Panthers: Dave Canales (3rd season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
