The home opener is here as the Buccaneers return to Tampa to take on their second division rival in a row. This one though, will be much weirder than most. Though the team will play inside Raymond James Stadium against the Carolina Panthers, no fans will be joining them. The Bucs announced recently that Tampa Bay would not be able to welcome fans into the stadium for the first two home games due to coronavirus concerns.
Matchup:
Both the Panthers and Bucs dropped their season openers, starting the year at 0-1. Tampa Bay is looking to right the ship after a sloppy offensive performance ultimately doomed them to the defending NFC South champs in the Superdome last week. They'll be on their turf, or rather, grass, this time and won't have to travel. It should help them settle in.
See below for all the ways you can watch your favorite team.
Panthers (0-1) vs. Buccaneers (0-1)
All-time record: Carolina leads the all-time series 24-15
Road record: 8-12
Key Matchups (via Scott Smith):
1. Panthers WR D.J. Moore vs. Buccaneers CB Carlton Davis
Did we mention that Carlton Davis had a very strong game against Michael Thomas? We did? Well, it's worth repeating because that is not easy to do. Neither was his near shutdown of then-Texan DeAndre Hopkins last December. Bruce Arians called Davis a "top-10" cornerback in the league early in training camp and David appears intent on proving that wasn't hyperbole. The Bucs may not choose to use Davis to shadow one particular Panther, as they did with him and Thomas last Sunday, but he will surely get plenty of reps against D.J. Moore, who had a breakout 1,175-yard campaign in 2019. New Panther Robby Anderson led his team with 115 yards on six catches in Week One but is more of a hit-and-miss big-play receiver. Moore led the team with nine targets and last year was targeted 135 times, second only to Christian McCaffrey's 142 among Panther targets. Moore isn't quite as big as Thomas but he's still a solid 6-0 and 210 pounds and he has higher-end speed, as evidenced by his 4.42 40-yard dash at the 2018 Scouting Combine. Davis has the size and length to match up with physical receivers like Moore, and he has the coverage ability to shut down any foe on any given Sunday.
2. Buccaneers WR Mike Evans vs. Panthers CB Troy Pride
This one-on-one matchup, for however many snaps it happens, could swing sharply in the Buccaneers' favor, especially if Mike Evans is still not hampered by the hamstring injury that kept him off the practice field last week. Evans progressed rapidly over the weekend and was able to play against the Saints, and even though his only catch was a two-yard touchdown he did draw nearly 70 yards worth of pass-interference penalties on plays on which he got deep open. The 6-5, 230-pound Evans would have a distinct size advantage any time he lines up across from Troy Pride, who is listed at 5-11 and 195. That's a change for Evans in competition with Carolina, in that he had previously drawn most of his coverage from the 6-1, 215-pound James Bradberry. Bradberry is now a New York Giant, and one of the players the Panthers brought in to replace him was Notre Dame's Pride, a fourth-round draft pick. Carolina also signed former Saint Eli Apple in free agency and probably would have started him opposite returning corner Donte Jackson, but Apple landed on injured reserve to start the season. Pride started the opener and contributed seven tackles. Evans obviously has an experience edge over Pride as well, and it's unlikely the Panthers would choose to shadow Evans with Jackson given that Chris Godwin must be accounted for, as well.
3. Panthers C Matt Paradis vs. Buccaneers DL Vita Vea
As noted above, Christian McCaffrey has been very effective as a runner between the tackles in his young career; last year, he averaged 5.0 yards per carry on inside runs, second-best in the league among all backs with at least 75 such plays. Unfortunately for the Panthers, and as was evidenced in two matchups last year, the Buccaneers' defense is particularly strong up the middle, too. The 340-pound Vea, who commonly lines up as a nose tackle, is difficult to move, even with multiple blockers, and he's flanked by two other good run-stoppers in Ndamukong Suh and Will Gholston. There will be plays where the 6-3, 300-pound Paradis is asked to contain Vea on his own, or move the big defender out of the way to create a lane, and those one-on-ones should be an entertaining battle of power on power. A highly-regarded center for the Broncos, Paradis signed with the Panthers last year to provide an anchor for a line that has had a lot of moving parts and not much continuity in recent years. Obviously, Paradis deserves some credit for the Panthers' rushing success up the middle, and he's got good feet and instincts to go with his toughness. On passing downs, the Buccaneers will hope Vea can get past Paradis and the guards to provide some pressure up the middle on Bridgewater.
4. Buccaneers T Donovan Smith vs. Panthers DE Brian Burns
The Buccaneers believe that Donovan Smith has the skills to protect Tom Brady's blindside and that when he's at the top of the game he can shut down even the best pass-rushers. Brian Burns may soon be considered part of that group. Despite playing fewer than 50% of the Panthers' defensive snaps as a rookie, Burns still contributed 7.5 sacks in 2019. Now Burns is the starter with Carolina changing over much of their front-seven personnel in the offseason and in the opener he played 68% of the snaps. The 2019 first-round pick has a very quick first step; in fact, according to Next Gen stats his average time to cross the line of scrimmage after the snap last year was 0.75 seconds, the quickest among all NFL edge rushers. Last year, Burns had one sack in each of his two games against the Buccaneers, but he and the Panthers' pass rush was shut out last weekend against Derek Carr.
The game will kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET. The broadcast can be found on FOX, locally. It will also be available on a live stream that can be accessed through the Buccaneers Official App and Yahoo Sports. See below for details.
Watch on TV:
Sunday, September 20, 2020
- Kickoff: 1:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Raymond James Stadium
- Television Network: FOX
- Broadcast Crew: Adam Amin (play by play), Mark Schlereth (color), Lindsay Czarniak (reporter)
Watch on Mobile:
The stream is available through Yahoo Sports, the Buccaneers Official App and online at Buccaneers.com.
- Yahoo! Sports (mobile browser or app)
- Bucs Official App
- Buccaneers.com
*Please check local listings to confirm availability. Geographic and device restrictions apply. Local & primetime games only. Data charges may apply.
Listen Live:
TAMPA BAY/SARASOTA…………...WXTB 97.9 FM ..Bucs Flagship Station
Broadcast Crew: Gene Deckerhoff (play by play), Dave Moore (color), T.J. Rives (sideline)
SPANISH RADIO..............................WTMP 96,1 Caliente … 101.9 and 1470AM
Broadcast Crew: Carlos Bohorquez (play by play), Martin Gramatica (color)
*In-market fans can listen through the Bucs Official App
BROOKSVILLE ………………………….WWJB 1450 AM/103.9
DAYTONA BEACH……………………..WRKO 93.1 FM
FT MEYERS/NAPLES …………….. WWNC 99.3 FM
GAINESVILLE/OCALA ……………… WRUF 850 AM/ 98.1 FM
HOMOSASSA SPRING……………….WXCV 95.3 FM
LAKELAND ……………………………….WLKF 1430 AM
MELBROUNE ……………………………WICX 1060 AM
ORLANDO…………………………………WYGM 740 AM/ 96.9 FM
PORT ST. LUCIE…………………………WPSL 1590 AM
PANAMA CITY…………………………..WGSX 104.3 FM
PENSACOLA……………………………..WBSR 1450AM/101.1 FM
SEBRING……………………………………WWTK AM 730 AM
TALLAHASSEE…………………………...WTSM 97.9 FM
Satellite Radio
Sirius/XM Channel 88
On the Bucs Official App*
Download here
*Access restricted to Tampa area
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