Panthers vs Buccaneers: Offensive Preview

We all should have seen last week coming. If there’s one thing that’s predictable about this Carolina Panthers team, it’s that they’re remarkably consistent with their inconsistency. They play poorly when you think they’ll play well. They play well when you think there’s no chance they do so. That makes this week kind of tough to predict, because there are plenty of reasons to justify both positive and negative expectations.

On the positive side. the Buccaneers are flailing. They’ve lost five of their last six and have allowed 31.8 points per game in the five losses. They’re coming off back to back home losses to the Falcons and Saints. Now they go on the road to take on a Panthers team that is significantly better within the walls of Bank of America Stadium. Based on all of those things, the Panthers are going to lay an egg.

On the other hand, a win on Sunday puts the Panthers in the driver’s seat for the NFC South Championship. They’re coming off a loss to the lowly Saints and looked pretty uninspired on offense. They’ve made a living on narrow wins this season, and that close game luck turned on them last week. This is not a spot where the Panthers typically come through for us. Based on all those things, the Panthers are going to light up the Buccaneers.

So we truly have no idea what’s going to happen, and I give up on trying to assume whether the Panthers are going to have a good or bad game based on the match-up. But we’ll still look at the keys to a successful game. Here they are.

• Bryce Young needs to have one of those good games. All of the Bucs recent losses have featured big games from the opposing quarterback. Kirk Cousins lit this defense up for 373 yards. Tyler Shough didn’t generate as much yardage through the air in wet conditions the week prior, but he ran for 55 yards and two touchdowns. Matthew Stafford and Josh Allen put up monster stat lines in the weeks prior while running up the score on Tampa. Even Jacoby Brissett put up 300 yards in a losing effort. Young has only had one truly prolific passing day this season. This is prime time for a second. The Buccaneers defense hasn’t been able to slow down any opposing quarterback. If Young really is a guy, he’s gotta have a good day against this group while playing at home.
• Have a plan for Vita Vea. Vea is a game wrecker. He rag dolls offensive linemen and is a problem both in the run and pass game. The Panthers offensive line has held up well despite a lot of injuries, but Vea is going to be one of their tougher tests. They should be able to devote extra attention to him, as he and Yaya Diaby are the only really imposing players along the front. The Panthers need to key on Vea and...