Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers Preview & Picks – Big Win For Bucs In Race For NFL Playoff Place

leigh-copson
16 Dec 2025
Leigh Copson 16 Dec 2025
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  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers picks for Sunday, December 21
  • Game is taking place at Bank of America Stadium
  • Preview, predictions, stats & form
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers Preview & Picks

Tampa are tipped to cover as they win this massive matchup in the NFC South.

The Bucs have cooled off over the past several weeks to let Carolina into the race, but they do have a decent road record and they have dominated the Panthers in recent meetings.

  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 5-2-0 ATS in their 7 wins
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 4-3 on the road this season
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 9-1 in the previous 10 meetings
  • The Under has cashed in 5 of Tampa Bay’s 7 road games

Head To Head

  • Carolina Panthers lead the all-time series 25-24
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers won 48-14 when the two teams last met in December 2024

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Form

Tampa Bay go into this matchup in desperate need of a victory, having lost five of their previous six games to fall to 7-7.

The Bucs made a strong start to the season as they won five of their first six games, but their form nose-dived in late October.

They had to bounce back from a 24-9 defeat in Detroit with a 23-3 win at New Orleans, and they have won just one game since that success at the Superdome.

Tampa Bay lost 28-23 at home to New England, and then suffered back-to-back road defeats as they fell 44-32 in Buffalo and 34-7 at the Los Angeles Rams.

The Buccaneers avoided a fourth straight loss by beating Arizona 20-17, only to then lose 24-20 to New Orleans and 29-28 to Atlanta at home.

Carolina Panthers Form

Carolina enter this game having lost four of their last seven games, failing to take full advantage of Tampa Bay’s recent struggles.

The Panthers made a rough start as they lost three of their first four games, before finding some form in October with a three-game win streak.

They beat Miami 27-24 and Dallas 30-27 at home, before heading out on the road to beat the New York Jets 13-6.

Carolina failed to maintain that consistency though and had to bounce back from a 40-9 blowout to Buffalo with a 16-13 upset of Green Bay, before responding to a 17-7 loss to New Orleans with a 30-27 overtime win in Atlanta.

The Panthers then sandwiched a surprise 31-28 win over the Los Angeles with road defeats to San Francisco, 20-9, and New Orleans, 20-17.

Verdict

Tampa Bay’s form has collapsed over the past several weeks, but Carolina have hardly been a model of consistency despite some good wins.

The Panthers have a terrible recent record against the Bucs too, so we lean towards the visitors in this one.

Best Bet1: Tampa Bay -3.0 Spread @-111.11 at Stake.us - 4 Units
Best Bet2: Under 45.5 Total Points @-111.11 at Stake.us - 2 Units
Tampa Bay -3.0
Spread
@-111.11 - 4 Units
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Bet at Stake.us
Under 45.5
Total Points
@-111.11 - 2 Units
55 Stake Cash no deposit & 550,000 Gold Coins & 5% Rakeback
Use promo code NEWBONUS

Sign up with the code NEWBONUS. When you verify your account get 25 Stake Cash for free PLUS 250,000 Gold Coins and 5% Rakeback! No deposit required. Login each day for the next 30 days and get an additional 30 Stake Cash AND 300,000 Gold Coins. 21+ only. T&Cs apply. Excludes WA, NY, NV, ID, KY, MI, VT, NJ, DE, WV, PA, RI & MD.

Bet at Stake.us

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