The Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are battling from Raymond James Stadium with the NFC South hanging in the balance. The Buccaneers can clinch the division in Week 17 with a win, while the Panthers need to win here and defeat the New Orleans Saints next week to earn their first playoff berth since 2017.
This game couldn’t have started any better for the Panthers. Sam Darnold led a six-play, 75-yard drive, which was capped by a 17-yard touchdown catch by Tommy Tremble. Then, safety Sam Franklin stripped the ball away from Chris Godwin on the Buccaneers’ first possession of the game. Later in the second quarter, Darnold hit D.J. Moore for a 24-yard touchdown to go up 14-0, but Tom Brady answered with a 63-yard touchdown bomb to Mike Evans.
Will the Panthers sweep the season series against the Bucs and inch closer to a division title, or will Brady wrap things up here in Week 17? Follow along in the live blog below, as we break down this matchup as it happens.
How to watch
Date: Sunday, Jan. 1 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
TV: Fox | Stream: fuboTV (try for free)
Follow: CBS Sports App
Odds: Buccaneers -4, O/U 40.5 (courtesy Caesars Sportsbook)