Without Delhomme, Carolina Panthers Still Favored Over Tampa Bay Bucs

NFL News - December 1st, 2009 - Written by John

After a string of narrow losses, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finish their three-game divisional slate with the Carolina Panthers this Sunday. The Bucs haven't won a divisional game all year, after going 3-3 in '08, but playing a Carolina team without starting quarterback Jake Delhomme may provide their first.

Delhomme was knocked out of last week's game against the Buffalo Bills when he broke a finger on his throwing hand. Instead it will be either A.J. Feeley or Matt Moore who will get their first start of the year.

All things considered, the NFL Betting Lines still give the Panthers the edge, favoring them by 6 1/2 points with an over/under of 41. It's tough to argue, given that they are 12-5 ATS against Tampa Bay over the last nine years. Odds courtesy of BetUS Sportsbook.

The Carolina Panthers have played the over in 12 of their last 16 games against NFC opponents, while the Bucs have played the over in eight of their last nine December games.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had been close to their second win of the year in recent weeks, but fell short in each instance by allowing late touchdown drives to seal their doom. Last week might have been the most bitter, when back-up Chris Redman marched the Atlanta Falcons 59 yards for a touchdown to Roddy White with two minutes left to win 20-17. The Bucs lost two of it's last three games by a combined five points.

Josh Freeman put together his most complete game of the year, completing 20 of 29 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns, and didn't throw an interception for the first time. His leading receiver continues to be tight end Kellen Winslow, who had seven catches for 81 yards.

But it's the running game that continues to lag, ranking 23rd in the league with no rusher above 500 yards yet. Cadillac Williams is the closest with 480, but he hasn't rushed for more than 56 yards since Week Six. In that week, Williams dashed for 77 yards against the Panthers, tho, and scored one of his three touchdowns.

In Carolina, the Bucs will find one of the few teams that get the running game right, running for a total of 1,666 yards on the year, which is good for fourth. Both DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are over the 500-yard mark, and Williams is fourth in the league with 1,022 yards.

But their success hasn't translated into wins. Delhomme is tied for second among all quarterbacks with 18 interceptions, stumping any chance to control his team's destiny. The Panthers are 4-7 after a 17-6 loss to the New York Jets when Delhomme was picked off by Darrelle Revis for a touchdown. Steward and Williams combined for only 75 yards on the day, their lowest combined total of the year.

The teams have split the season series in three of the last four seasons, with the lone exception being a Carolina sweep in '06.