Creature vs Creature: Carolina Panthers to Host Tampa Bay Bucs on Monday Night

used to claw their way back into the game last Sunday and Jeff Garcia is known for his ability to do just that. 

The secondary will be faced with the task of covering their assignments longer because of Garcia’s ability to evade the pass-rush; something the Panthers defensive backs have been struggling with this year.

 

The Panthers Will Lose If…

They start slow

Against a team like Tampa Bay, with so much on the line, a slow start would likely doom the Panthers just as it did in week six.  In that game, the Bucs blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown on the Panthers’ first possession of the game and they never recovered. 

In the team’s last few games prior to the Packers game, it was the same story.  Against Oakland, Detroit, and Atlanta it looked as though the Panthers needed a wake-up call before they kicked into gear.  The Panthers need to come out with high intensity, and their home fans should enable them to do so.

 

They turn the ball over

The Panthers will need to be very careful with the ball and use intangible factors to their advantage.  The Bucs are historically ineffective in cold weather climates and the temperature Monday night is forecasted to be in the mid-30’s. 

The Panthers just played at Lambeau last week and are prepped for a cold weather game while the Buccaneers have spent their season in sunny Tampa.  Weather is not as big of a factor in today’s NFL as it once was, but it still looms over warm-weather teams.  If the Panthers can stay mistake free and force Tampa to make the errors, they will be on their way to victory.  However, if Jake Delhomme puts up another three interception performance, like he did in week six, it could spell trouble for the Panthers.

 

The X-Factor

Jake Delhomme and Jeff Garcia

The quarterback duel will certainly be a main match-up to watch on Monday.  Both of these quarterbacks have had success against the opposing team and both are integral parts of their teams’ offensive production. 

Garcia has been labeled as a Panther killer in recent years and Delhomme has led the Panthers to several victories over the Bucs since taking over as the starter.  The game may very well come down to which of these field generals makes fewer mistakes.  As is often the case in the NFL, it’s not what you do that wins the game, it’s what you botch that loses it. 

Delhomme will plan to hand the ball off to the dynamic duo in the backfield to start the game but if the Bucs defense takes away the run, the game will rest on Jake’s ability to manage the game and spread the ball to his receivers.  Garcia will shoulder more of the offensive burden with the absence of Earnest Graham, but will also need to be on point to keep the Carolina pass rush guessing. 

Julius Peppers will be hunting Jeff Garcia and if he finds him, it could spell doom for the Bucs offense.

 

Prediction

The Panthers' last Monday Night victory was against the Bucs in 2006 in the same stadium and they will be looking to repeat that success.  The stakes are a little bit higher this year as the game is coming later in the season and the teams are tied at 9-3 atop the division.  Tampa Bay will try to become the first team to repeat as division winners since the NFC South was conceived in 2002. 

The rivalry between the Panthers and Buccaneers is one of the more intense in the NFL these days.  While Warren Sapp and Brentson Buckner are gone, the teams still have a genuine dislike for each other that will be on display for a national audience.

The game will be close and will come down to a late game changing play.  That scenario favors the Panthers, and that’s why I am picking the Cats to win this one.

 

Panthers 24, Buccaneers 20

For a view from the other side of the ball, check out Bucs' community leader Oliver Ellis' opposing article.

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