The Carolina Panthers are carrying a two-game win streak going into their Week 7 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home. So, can they extend the run to three against their division rivals?
Carolina had been getting dominated by Tampa for a long time, losing nine of 10 matchups going into last season. But the Panthers finally stopped the bleeding with a 23-20 win at home in December. The Buccaneers got them back, though—winning the regular season finale in Tampa 16-14.
For Sunday's bout, Pete Prisco at CBS Sports sees a nail-biter—and predicts the Panthers to come out with a one-point victory. Prisco writes:
The Bucs might have Baker Mayfield back for this one. That would be big. The Panthers are rolling on offense as Bryce Young is in the MVP
conversation. It will stay that way, but the Bucs will hang around. Pick: Panthers 24, Bucs 23
With the status of Mayfield still up in the air, the Bucs—per head coach Todd Bowles—are operating as if undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels will get the start at quarterback. Daniels got Tampa their first win of the season against Dallas a couple of weeks ago. However, he's 1-2 on the year, and his numbers are not that impressive.
In four starts, he's completed 61.2 percent of his passes—totaling 501 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions. His 63.3 passer rating ranks 33rd in the league while his 45.0 quarterback rating ranks 23rd.
As far as Carolina's quarterback goes, Young has entered the week as the NFL's leader in passing yards per game.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Buccaneers predicted to hang around against Panthers in Week 7
