Authored by Clark Gerber, a contributor for WRAL Sports.

Carolina Panthers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On Sunday, December 3rd at 4:05 PM EST, CBS will air their programming.

As the Carolina Panthers’ special teams coordinator, Chris Tabor assumes the role of interim head coach with an eye towards the team’s future.

Following a poor 1-10 start, it is clear that the team will not make it to the playoffs. As they prepare to face Tampa Bay this week, Tabor’s primary objective is to improve their playing style and solidify the organization’s culture in order to regain some sense of pride.

Tabor described their team as composed and aggressive, with a strong sense of camaraderie. He explained that being composed means avoiding penalties and making the right decisions while playing with intensity. Additionally, the team works together across all aspects of the game – offense, defense, and special teams.

Bryce Young, a rookie quarterback, acknowledges that the recent firing news has been a heavy burden for him this week, as it pertains to the future.

Young collaborated closely with ex-head coach Frank Reich and ex-quarterbacks coach Josh McCown ever since he was selected in April. He claims that they did not let him down in any way.

Young stated that everyone takes responsibility, particularly on the offensive side. It is a team effort and we all have a desire to improve. There is no blame between players and coaches, as we all could have performed better.

I have faith in all members of the organization, including my teammates. We are committed to improving and working hard to achieve positive outcomes. However, we must earn the privilege of experiencing greater success in the future.

Tabor reiterated Young’s faith, stating that he is confident the newcomer will bounce back from the challenge and perform strongly on Sunday.

Tabor stated that it is important for him to be true to himself. He encourages everyone to enjoy themselves and play with a relaxed mindset, without being careless. Tabor uses a poker analogy, saying that he is fully committed and ready to take risks. He believes that this approach can bring comfort to the players.

“The keys to the game are the Panthers and Buccaneers matchup.”

“The determining factors for the game will be the Panthers and Buccaneers facing off against each other.”

Tampa Bay’s defense is proficient at halting the run, but not as effective at defending against the pass. To succeed, Carolina should capitalize on this weakness and increase their throwing strategy. Quarterback Bryce Young has not surpassed 200 passing yards in his previous four games, and a victory for the Panthers on Sunday will require him to achieve his first 250+ yard game.

Restrict Mike Evans’ performance. The experienced player has been performing exceptionally well and has been a major threat to the Panthers in previous games. Since 2020, Evans has had an average of 7.6 receptions, 114.6 receiving yards, and 1.4 touchdowns per game against Carolina. The Panthers must limit his yardage to under 70 and ideally prevent him from scoring any touchdowns in the upcoming game.

Could we possibly receive some key points to take away from this? The Panthers’ defense is currently ranked last in the league when it comes to causing turnovers. In the past four weeks, they have only managed to create one turnover, which was due to a mistake on special teams. It is crucial for the defense to force the Buccaneers into at least two turnovers, allowing the offense better field position.

Numbers to know

Since 2010, teams that have fired their head coach during the season have a record of 17 wins and 12 losses the following week. However, the Carolina Panthers have not been successful in this situation, with a record of 0 wins and 2 losses.

In their past five games, the Panthers have only managed to score a maximum of 15 points. Their overall average of 15.7 points per game places them at 29th in the NFL.

Tampa Bay has given up a total of 7 rushing touchdowns so far this year. Out of those, 5 were scored by quarterbacks and only 2 were scored by running backs (both by Jonathan Taylor in the previous week).

Bryce Young has been brought down behind the line of scrimmage on at least three occasions in 8 out of his 10 starts, totaling 40 sacks. This puts him at the 5th highest number of sacks for a rookie in their first 10 games since tracking began in 1963.

The Carolina Panthers have the lowest average of 0.46 rushing yards before contact in the NFL, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rank t-8th in the league with 61 tackles for loss.

Source: wralsportsfan.com