Not often do you see a feel-good moment, such as when Cam Newton returned to the Carolina Panthers this season, in the NFL. I will admit I was a huge fan of Cam (especially his style of play) and it was great to see him get another chance. With Sunday’s matchup, we will now get to see two of New England’s former starting QB’s in action (against one another).
The re-signing of Cam Newton wasn’t just a publicity stunt of Carolina’s end; they needed some serious help at the quarterback position. After Sam Darnold started to suffer midway through the season, it became clear he would not be the long-term option. With this, Cam was brought in and has shown he can still ball. Since Week 10, Cam Newton has posted rushing TDs in five consecutive weeks. On Sunday, he could become the first quarterback in NFL history to post a rushing touchdown six weeks straight.
Another plus the Panthers might come across is the number of injuries the Bucs were able to pile up in last week’s matchup against the Saints. Losing three starters is never a good thing, and Tampa will definitely be missing star players such as Leonard Fournette, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin. Brady has been known to make stars out of virtual “no-names”, so these injuries shouldn’t be too big of a problem for him.
The biggest storyline heading into this boxing Day matchup is the fact that the Bucs could clinch the NFC South title with a win. They could have done it against the Saints last week, but we all remember how that worked out. Hopefully, the Bucs (who remain) can pull together some juice and come away with a win. But what could potentially stand in their way?
As we said injuries will play a huge role in the game, but defense as well. The Buccaneers have allowed the most sacks in the NFL, at 21. Aside from that, if the defense comes together, doesn’t give up silly penalties, and just plays their game, they should be fine against a Carolina offense that is having trouble finding its footing.
A storyline to come out of Tampa Bay this week was Bruce Arians’ dissatisfaction with Rob Gronkowski and his play against the Saints last week. Arians said Gronk would simply have to do better and “catch four more passes”. Against the Saints Gronkowski only managed to catch two of the nine passes directed his way. It’s safe to say it was quite an uncharacteristic display from Gronk.
To cap off the article, Tom Brady should be able to pick this defense apart (as he usually does). Similar to the Saints, Brady has not done the best against that Panthers (4-3 record) but he does have a last-second win over them in the 2004 Super Bowl, which could help. All I’m saying is I’m expecting the G.O.A.T to bounce back on Boxing Day.
With Christmas just around the corner I just wanted to wish all the readers, and fans, of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a healthy and happy holiday season. May all your dreams come true. ‘Til next time!