Know your rival: How Carolina Jaguars coordinate with Tampa Cove Bucs in season finale
The NFC South title boils down to the last week, and the Carolina Jaguars have something to do with who will be the divisional boss.
It just won’t be them. The Panthers (2-14) will take the Bank of America Stadium turf at 1 p.m. Sunday for the final time this doomed season when they take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — the 8-8 team that, with a win, will clinch its fourth playoff appearance in as many years
The Bucs opened as 5.5-point favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, with the over/under set at 37.5. Here’s a quick look at the Buccaneers and how they match up with the Panthers.
It’s true that the Panthers have been dwelling near rock bottom for most of this season, hitting new lows with every dismal offensive performance and every coaching change and every viral front office outburst. Sunday presents another opportunity to sink deeper into the malaise
Baker Mayfield, the former Heisman Trophy winner who was traded to Carolina ahead of the 2022 season only to be released by December, will make his first return to Bank of America Stadium since his maligned stint with the Panthers ended. And he’ll be doing
Mayfield has had one of the best seasons of his career. It’s been stellar at times; at others, uninspiring. But Mayfield’s performance seems to be trending up: The past three games, Mayfield has averaged 324.3 yards and 2.6 touchdown passes a game. One of those games featured a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3 against the Green Bay Packers.
On the year, the Bucs average 21.2 points (19th in the NFL) and 318.3 yards (23rd) on offense, and have the second-highest fourth-down conversion percentage in the league. They struggle on the ground as a team — they’re last in yards per carry (3.4) and second to last in rush yards per game average (87.3) — but still have top running back Rachaad White 85 rushing yards away from a 1,000-yard season.
Their top targets in the pass game: Mike Evans (the Panther killer, who has 1,233 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns on the year) and Chris Godwin (973 yards and two touchdowns, including one last week)