PANTHERS (6-9) VS. BUCCANEERS (8-7)
SUNDAY, 1 P.M. ET, RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM, TAMPA uTV: FOX, DIRECTV 715
Announcers: Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis or Chris Spielman, Peter Schrager
About the Panthers: QB first-half passer rating of 3.7 against the visiting Atlanta Falcons in Week 16 speaks volumes about a season gone south and served as a precursor of things to come in a disappointing 33-16 loss. He would finish with a seasonlow rating of 44.5. “We had a long run, a long, long run,” he said. “It’s time for guys to have a sabbatical, so to speak, and get away from it.” A year after going 15-1 and reaching Super Bowl 50, Carolina has surrendered its threeyear grip on the NFC South to the Falcons and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2012. One highlight Saturday: became the first tight end in NFL history to record three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
About the Buccaneers: Players said they were caught off guard by the surprise benching of veteran RB — a healthy scratch in laymen’s terms and officially called a “coach’s decision” by — and really never recovered while trailing from wire to wire in a crushing 31-24 loss at the New Orleans Saints. After back-to-back losses to the Saints and Dallas Cowboys, a once-promising season that included five consecutive wins now seems a thing of the past. They remain mathematically alive (with a 0.26% chance of making the playoffs) for the second wild-card berth in the NFC. “Who knows?” QB
said. “We have nothing to lose. We can’t hold back. We’re playing next week like it’s our Super Bowl again.”
A week after Martin gained 42 yards in 16 carries against Jameis Winston has been picked off five times in the last two games.
Dallas, RB fared only slightly better (15 carries, 63 yards, one TD) against the Saints. Klein will be starting his sixth consecutive game in the absence of perennial Pro Bowl MLB who suffered a concussion in Week 11 against New Orleans.
The 33-year-old is wrapping up the
WHO WILL WIN AND WHY
second year of a three-year, $18 million contract. And while he has not talked publicly about his future, it’s not certain how much of a toll this season has taken on his body. Davis continues to play at a high level and leads the team with 104 tackles.
Completion rate this season by Newton after he completed less than 50% of his passes (18 of 43) at home against the Falcons. It marked the fifth time in the last six games that Newton failed to eclipse the 50% completion mark.
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. One and done: If Carolina has any chance of knocking off Tampa Bay, the Panthers will have to get better play out of the quarterback position. Newton made no mention of a sore throwing shoulder after the Atlanta game, though his abysmal performance begged for a logical explanation.
The slumping Buccaneers remain mathematically alive for the second wild-card berth in the NFC — that is, if less than 1% counts for much. They will limp into the regular-season finale after a handful of key players were injured against New Orleans, most notably TE
(back), CB (ankle) and Pro Bowl WR (ankle).
3. Play smart: After throwing four interceptions in the previous nine games, Winston has thrown five picks in consecutive losses against New Orleans (two) and Dallas (two), reminiscent of his first four games this season, when he threw eight.
Brian Allee-Walsh